Situated Learning

Made By Gemini   

What does situated learning mean?

The main idea is that knowledge doesn't exist in the air, detached from context, in isolation. Learning is always embedded within an action, an environment, a culture. (Leading figures Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, 1991).

You can't learn to swim from a book. Even if you read 300 pages about "how to stroke, how to breathe," you'll still sink when you get in the water. Swimming is learned in the water, by swimming. That's the whole point of situational learning: knowledge is learned "where it's done." The best examples of this are teaching and medicine; you learn best by doing.

Lave and Wenger go even further: they say "learning is not something that only happens within practice"; that is, "knowledge doesn't just sit in a separate place and we use it incidentally in practice." Learning itself is an integral part of that real-life social practice. In other words, knowledge and practice are not two separate things, but intertwined.

Where did that come from?  

This theory was born as a rebellion. A rebellion against what? Against the prevailing view of the time: the idea that "knowledge is something that exists in your head, independent of context, and functions the same way for everyone."

The old view saw the brain as a computer: data enters, is processed, and exits. Situated learning says, "No, my friend": the brain is not a solitary processor, but a member participating in social practice.

 

Traditional cognitivism	Situated learning
Mind = information processing machine	Mind = member participating in social practice
Learning = change in your mind	Learning = participation in the community
Teach general skills.	Teach context-specific practices

Its sources are also familiar: Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, constructivism, and Dewey's pragmatism of "learning by doing."

Two crucial concepts

The entire theory essentially rests on two concepts. Once you understand these, the rest is easy:

1. Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP)

The words are complex, but the situation is simple. A newcomer starts on the sidelines, observing, helping with small tasks, making tea. Over time, they move towards the center, solving problems, making decisions, and taking responsibility.

Think of an apprentice starting a new job in a kitchen. On their first day, nobody says, "Here, make a wedding cake." First, they chop onions, clear the dishes, and watch the master chef. Months later, they mix the sauces, and years later, they become the head chef.

These two words are very important:

• Legitimate: The apprentice isn't fake; he's genuinely part of the team. On the sidelines, but on the inside.
• Peripheral: It starts on the periphery, not the center, but that doesn't mean it's "unimportant," it means "still at the beginning of the journey."

The most critical point: According to Lave and Wenger, learning is not just about "acquiring skills," but about identity transformation. That is, the apprentice transforms into a new person and now sees himself as a "chef." Learning = becoming someone else.

2. Community of Practice (CoP)

Community of Practice (CoP) This is a group of people working together on a common goal: scientists, engineers, students on projects... Learning takes place within this group through apprenticeship, collaboration, and collaborative thinking and discussion.

Think of a newcomer to a futsal pitch. During their first game, they sit on the sidelines, watching the action and figuring out, "How do we play here?" The group has its own language, its own rules, its own jokes. Over time, they start speaking that language and become "part of the team." That team is a community of practice.

Combine the two: Newcomer (on the sidelines) → experienced member → expert. LPP is how this journey works, CoP is the community in which this journey takes place.

So how does this work in mathematics and science?

Learning by doing: Instead of having Newton's laws explained on the board, students build models and test them. For example, they build and launch balloon rockets. Instead of memorizing the formula, they see the law in action.

Using real tools: Laboratory equipment, coding software, graphing calculators are not just "aids." They are part of the process of knowledge production. Scientists think with these tools; without them, the knowledge simply wouldn't be formed.

Language and culture: Learning science also means learning to speak, write, and think like scientists. Similarly, when mathematics is placed within a real context, students see it not as a "necessity to perform calculations," but as a "tool for reasoning."

What should the teacher do?

• Embed learning in real-world contexts: Use case studies, simulations, and problem-based learning.
• Encourage collaboration: Dialogue, peer mentoring, group work.
• Assign roles gradually: Let them observe first, then do. Increase responsibility slowly. (Apprenticeship approach.)
• Encourage critical thinking: Don't just give the answer, have the student explain their reasoning behind it.
• Evaluate the process and participation: Look not only at the correct answer, but also at the reasoning, teamwork, and strategy.

Criticisms (let's be honest)

Like any theory, this one has its flaws.

• Transferability: A skill learned in one context may not easily transfer to another. Someone who is a master in one cuisine may have to start from scratch in another.
• Scalability: Setting up these environments is challenging and expensive. It's not easy to assign a "junior scientist" role to everyone in a class of 40.
• Assessment difficulty: Learning is embedded in social practice, making it difficult to measure. What will you write in the notebook? "represented the community well"?