The Situated Learning Framework as An Analytical Tool

The ideas of situated learning guided the way in which the activities that occurred in the employment preparation program (specifically the classroom and the coffee shop) were analysed. At first, the study was guided by ideas and concepts, but as they were used, examined, and questioned over and over, these concepts became more defined. The result is an approach or tool that could be used to guide continued analysis of learning activities. It permits one to see whether or not a learning activity has elements of situated learning and, more importantly, whether or not it is connected to the broader social practices of the setting or situation in which the activity is used. Using situated learning to analyse the employment preparation program allowed me to see the clear distinctions between the classroom setting and the two work settings. It helped me to realize that many of the activities that occurred in the classroom, although designed to support the work settings, were actually not connected to work practices, and were useful only within a school setting. How often is this disconnect occurring in the field?

The table below outlines a way to analyse the learning that occurs in programs as social practices. More importantly, it details the elements and dynamics that are needed if adult literacy development is to move away from a skills–based approach (in which literacy is developed based only on schooling practices) towards one that is linked to sociocultural understanding (in which literacy is developed based on the social practices of various settings and communities). Once we are able to talk about the distinctions between schooling, work, community, and home literacy and learning practices, then there is the potential to develop programs and activities that support the development of the kinds of practices needed in a wide variety of settings and situations. Currently, if most programs are immersed in a schooling approach to literacy education, no matter what the student's goal or learning needs may be, he or she is most often learning literacy as it is practiced in schools and not as it is practiced on the job, at a doctor's office, or with a home computer. Compounding this is the idea that literacy may only be a component of a student's needs, and a focus only on literacy development does not permit a broader discussion of learning needs. The table below can be a starting point for helping programs analyse their own learning activities. This table could also be an initial step in viewing learning (and the literacy that may support learning activities) beyond a schooling model. A slightly modified version could then be used to analyse both learning and literacy practices in a variety of settings. The information could then be used as a basis for developing new kinds of learning activities to help meet students' goals.