What Is Situated Learning?
Situated learning in the workplace is a theory that explains how people tend to learn more effectively by engaging in tasks related to their work, in the environment where those tasks normally take place, and alongside more experienced colleagues.
Prof Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, in 1991, published the book titled Situated Learning. Legitimate Peripheral Participation. In this book, they first developed a theory of learning that brings together practice and social processes.
Lave and Wenger’s situated learning theory posits that people learn better by engaging in real-world practical activities as part of a social group, guided initially by more experienced members of that group.
Their model is also associated with legitimate peripheral participation, which means that a newcomer can begin with lower-risk tasks and gradually take on fuller responsibilities as their skills and confidence grow.
Let’s find out how situated learning works and how you can apply this theory in real-world work situations to maximize your employees’ development.
What Is a Learning Community of Practice?
Lave and Wenger use the expression ‘Community of Practice’ to refer to a social group that a learner gradually becomes a member of.
The more experienced a learner becomes in the tasks that the community of practice performs, the more their identity is shaped by belonging to that group.
A community of practice is a group of people who:
- Share an interest in a set of practices, tasks, or activities that they know how to perform.
- Engage with each other regularly to develop their skills.
Because of its link with communities of practice, this type of situated learning not only involves learning by doing but also a sense of belonging and the development of an identity.
For example, in the workplace, a new team member develops a sense of belonging and professional identity as they engage in live projects alongside experienced colleagues.
The team acts as a community of practice, particularly if the team members enjoy their job and can transmit their enthusiasm to the new employee.
How Can You Apply Situated Learning in the Workplace?
So, how can you apply situated learning at work, and what are some examples of situated learning in the workplace? I have listed below four strategies that might be useful for you to implement.
1. Create Communities of Practice
This means that you can help create social groups at work to help employees build a sense of connection with the organization and a professional identity within a group of coworkers.
To create communities of practice in the workplace, you can:
Form collaborative teams – These are groups where peers can interact to learn together, collaborate, share ideas, and brainstorm solutions to challenges they face.
For example, employees can organize peer learning groups based on their specific roles in the company and meet once every two weeks to discuss ongoing projects and share insights.
Implement a mentorship program – This consists of a formal arrangement in which an employee with more experience in a certain area mentors somebody less experienced. A mentor can give advice to a mentee, provide feedback, and demonstrate practical tasks.
Set up cross-departmental teams – Having employees from different departments work together can help them share different perspectives and foster a sense of belonging across the whole organization.
2. Integrate Learning into Everyday Work
This means encouraging employees to learn as they work and apply what they learn in practice. For example, to help consolidate knowledge alongside its practical application, you can:
Follow-up theoretical training sessions with the application of skills in real life – You can have employees attend a time-management session and then encourage them to work with a mentor to implement a time-management action plan.
If employees can implement time management strategies at work, rather than only attending a training session, they are more likely to absorb what they learned, as they will apply it immediately.
In addition, having support from a mentor gives them a social connection and creates accountability.
On-the-job training – Train employees during real tasks, rather than with hypothetical simulations, whenever possible.
Learn by doing – This involves encouraging employees to take on new responsibilities or projects where they can learn by actively doing the work
Shadowing – Let employees shadow experienced colleagues to observe and learn in context. Shadowing is also good for creating social connections.
3. Encourage Reflection and Feedback
Reflection (see about transformative learning) and feedback are two important learning activities that leverage the principles of situated learning because they help employees learn in context, develop critical thinking (by analyzing what worked, what didn’t, and why), and engage in social interaction when they give and receive feedback.
To encourage reflection and feedback, you can:
Make sure to give immediate constructive feedback – If feedback is delivered immediately, it is easier to relate it to the actual tasks carried out. Feedback can be given by peers, supervisors, and mentors.
Hold regular debrief sessions – After completing tasks, hold meetings where employees can reflect on what they’ve learned.
Encourage employees to keep learning journals – by keeping logs of their activities, employees can keep track of what they did and what worked, what did not, and why they can learn from their experiences more effectively.
4. Support Ongoing, Informal Learning
This means creating a work environment in which employees feel comfortable asking questions, sharing tips, and discussing their learning experiences with others.
To support informal learning, you can:
Encourage knowledge sharing – For example, employees can organize lunch-and-learn or coffee-break sessions during which they share new skills or discuss lessons learned from their work.
Provide learning resources – For example, you can offer resources (e.g., articles, videos, workshops) that employees can explore at their own pace, with the goal of applying them to their work.
What Are the Benefits of Situated Learning in the Workplace?
There are many reasons why you should use this strategic approach that emphasizes situated learning in the workplace, and these reasons include:
- Learning that is more relevant and effective, as employees immediately put into practice what they learned
- Better employee engagement, because learning is more meaningful when employees put it into practice. In addition, employees tend to feel more invested in their roles when they are actively learning and applying new skills on the job.
- Stronger team collaboration, by creating communities of practice, situated learning increases social bonds.
Situated learning is one of several workplace learning approaches that trainers and HR professionals can use to design more practical, engaging development experiences. Explore more corporate training strategies and workplace learning models.
How Does Mentorship Support Situated Learning at Work?
Mentorship is one of the most impactful and effective strategies to implement situated learning in the workplace.
With mentoring, you strengthen social bonds at work and help new or less experienced employees become part of a community of practice.
In addition, with a mentorship program, employees also learn new skills in real life as they can observe, collaborate, and participate in actual work tasks with the mentor.
If you are an HR manager in charge of learning and development or a corporate training facilitator, you might find these pre-designed and fully editable mentoring training course materials very useful.
If you are planning to teach managers or experienced employees how to support workplace learning through mentoring, our Mentoring Skills Training Materials provide editable slides, trainer notes, activities, and participant resources for running your own workshop.
FAQs
What is an example of situated learning in the workplace?
Imagine a new employee in a factory who spends their first few weeks working alongside an experienced operator. Not only do they learn how to use the equipment safely, but they also pick up the everyday routines of the workplace, such as how the team communicates, when people usually ask for help, when they take breaks, how handovers are done, and what standards colleagues expect. Over time, he took on more of the work while still having someone nearby to guide him.
How is situated learning different from traditional training?
Traditional training often teaches concepts before employees apply them later. Situated learning, on the other hand, combines learning with real work tasks, workplace relationships, and immediate feedback.
