Lesson 8 - Situated Learning

Situated Learning

Etienne Wegner proposed the idea of Situated Learning and communities of practice. The idea is based around the definition of learning as "learning how to act" in a specific group - a community of practice. The theory involves three topics: the idea that knowledge is socially constructed, that learning happens in communities of practice, and the roles of competent and peripheral legitimate participants in communities. The idea that knowledge is socially constructed reflects that the truth is whatever we decide to be true. The concept of communities of practice is based on the idea that learning takes place all of the time and encompasses all aspects of experience. Learning in communities of practice four different ideas: meaning, practice, community, and identity. The meaning is necessary for the members of a community to stay engaged, while the practice allows for community to share what they are doing and why. The community itself allows the group to feel bonded together, and also allows for the individuals of the community to get an identity from it. A community of practice exists when a group has a common goal, has a shared repertoire of stories, traditions, etc., and has mutual engagement - a demand for collaboration.

The third idea was that of the competent and the legitimate participants of communities. The metaphor given in class was that the competent participant of a community is like batman, while the legitimate peripheral participant of the community is like robin. The legitimate peripheral participant is legitimate because he or she is accepted by the group, and is peripheral because he or she hasn't quite found his or her place. That is, this person is still learning the rules of engagement for the community and has not become competent. A third kind of person - the joker in the analogy - may be excluded from the group and may start a new group where he or she is the competent participant.

 For a class activity, we discussed the three topics of Situated Learning Theory in the context of being a DIS student. For instance, we described the definition of wellbeing for a DIS student to be meeting new people and learning a new culture. We gave examples of shared repertoire as knowing Jonatan, and traveling together, while for examples of mutual engagement, we put down partying, taking trips together, and sharing meals. We described a competent participant of the DIS community to be someone who can dress for the weather, and who wants to try new things. This exercise was helpful in illustrated the concepts of Situated Learning Theory in a context that we could all understand.