LEARN SITUATIONALLY WITH SITUATED LEARNING! Situated Learning is "education that takes place in a setting functionally identical to that where the learning will be applied" (Wikipedia, 2004). The concept of situated learning involves Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Contextual Environment, and Social Group Interaction.

Legitimate Peripheral Participation involves "the process by which newcomers become part of a community of practice" (Lave & Wagner, 1991, p. 29). A community of practice occurs when people who share an interest in some subject or problem collaborate to exchange ideas and find solutions (Wikipedia, 2004).

合法的边缘参与包括 新手变成实践共同体的一部分的过程（Lave & Wagner,1991）。当人们对一些主题或问题感兴趣而协作交流思想和寻找解决办法的时候时，实践共同体就出现了。

Situated learning involves learning which takes place in authentic, contextual environments. For example, in order for students to effectively learn a new language, they must practice speaking it (Figure 1).

Although it is very important for students to learn grammatical rules, most classroom activities do not give students enough practice in actually speaking the new language (Figure 2).

Therefore, authentic environments in which students actually practice speaking the new language are examples of situated learning. Most classroom activities are non-examples of situated learning (Kearsley, 1994-2004).    

Figure 1. Learning interactions work best in context. 

Figure 2. Classroom activities are often non-contextual. 

In every community, there are experts, or people who have lived in the community for a long period of time, and novices, or recent arrivals to the community (Figure 3).

In order for the novices to learn, they must interact with experts or more experienced members of the community (Figure 4).

This interaction allows the novices to learn from the experts by developing social relationships with them and represents the social group interaction aspect of situated learning (Kearsley, 1994-2004).

The more time the novices spend interacting with the experts, the more their knowledge grows so that eventually they become experts too.

Figure 3. Novices and experts are part of every community.

Figure 4. As novices interact with experts, they become experts also.

TIP: Theories: Situated Learning
Situated Learning in Adult Education
Situated Learning tutorial

John Alexander, Graduate Student SDSU

Alexander, J. (2004). An overview of situated learning. In B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Technology.