Lave and Wenger: Legitimate Peripheral Participation

From Eduwiki

Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

INTRODUCTION

In this book, Lave and Wenger explain the basis for what they can their “analytic perspective” or “concept” of legitimate peripheral participation. This theory describes the “process in which newcomers become part of a community of practice” (p.29). The authors see learning as an integral part of social practice. In their theory, learning cannot be separated from situation. Case studies or apprenticeships from around the world illustrate their theory of learning.

APPRENTICESHIP

Lave and Wenger first try to “rescue” the word apprenticeship, which has become a synonym for situated learning. The variety of speculation about situated learning has blurred what Lave and Wenger see as the essence of apprenticeship -- “a common structured pattern of learning experiences” (p.30). Knowledge is not taught, or examined, but neither is the apprentice a mechanical copier of patterns. Learning is part of the apprentice’s everyday existence.

Lave and Wenger argue that the historical significance of apprenticeship has been overlooked. Rather than being seen as an educational phenomena, apprenticeship connotes outmoded production and obsolete education (p.63). The variety of case studies they employ demonstrate the different geographical and cultural situations in which apprenticeships can be found. The examples also demonstrate the fact that learning through apprenticeship is not necessarily informal, nor is it repetitive.

LEARNING AS SOCIAL PRACTICE

Lave and Wenger define learning as “an integral, inseparable aspect of social practice” (p.31). In their opinion, all activity is situated, there is a relational character of knowing and learning. “Agent, activity and the world mutually constitute each other” (33). In other words, Lave and Wenger seek to define learning as an integral aspect of practice, not as a series of narrow, replicative tasks. They argue for a shift away from learning as one kind of activity, toward a theory of social practice in which learning is viewed as an aspect of all activity.

LEGITIMATE PERIPHERAL PARTICIPATION

Lave and Wenger see legitimate peripheral participation as inseparable theory, whose whole combination creates a landscape of community membership. In other words, deconstructing the theory (illegitimate central nonparticipation for example) does not do justice to the theory as a whole. Lave and Wenger think of the word peripheral as a positive term. Peripheral participation suggests an opening, leading to more intensive participation (p.37). The theory of legitimate peripheral participation is not intended as abstraction but an attempt to explore its concrete relations (p.39)

EXAMPLES OF APPRENTICESHIP

Lave and Wenger examine five different case studies of apprenticeship. These include Yucatec Mayan midwives in Mexico,Vai and Gola tailors in Liberia, US Navy quartermasters, butchers in US supermarkets and non drinking alcoholics in Alcoholic Anonymous. The authors avoided schools in order to get a “fresh look” as leaning. Schooling implies knowledge can be de-contextualized, and many claims of effective teaching techniques set in contrast to Lave and Wenger’s theory, namely, it does not take intentional instruction to cause learning. But Lave and Wenger do believe re-thinking schooling with their analytical theory would be a fruitful exercise.

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS

Typical schooling is very different from apprenticeship, and yet learning can still be described as becoming part of a community of practice. Here are some suggestions for CoPs relevant to different classes:

School Class Communities of Practice
English Writers, Journalists, Bloggers
Mathematics Mathematicians, Engineers, Accountants
Physical Education Professional Athletes,
Art Architecture, Design, Advertising
Retrieved from "http://edutech.csun.edu/eduwiki/index.php/Lave_and_Wenger:_Legitimate_Peripheral_Participation"
Personal tools