
Authentic, situated teaching and learning arise out of social-constructivist thinking that sees learning as "an active process of building knowledge and skills within a supportive group or community (Herrington & Oliver, 2000). This view of contextualized learning focuses on the social construction of knowledge posited in the writings of Lev Vygotsky; through enabling and supporting communication, interaction, and collaboration, knowledge can be coconstructed (1978).
Herrington and Oliver (2000) have identified the following characteristics of authentic learning:
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authentic contexts that reflect the way the knowledge will be used in real-life
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authentic activities that are complex, ill-defined problems and investigations
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access to expert performances enabling modelling of processes
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multiple roles and perspectives providing alternative solution pathway
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collaboration allowing for the social construction of knowledge
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opportunities for reflection involving metacognition
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opportunities for articulation to enable tacit knowledge to be made explicit
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coaching and scaffolding by the teacher at critical times
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authentic assessment that reflect the way knowledge is assessed in real life.
Authentic or situated learning is based on the realization that, outside of the educational system, learning is social, i.e., it occurs naturally in contexts that demand the learning of skills and knowledge for participation in group activities. Through interaction with a community of practice, learners naturally internalize the knowledge and skills necessary for group participation, developing from novices inhabiting the periphery to central, expert participants.