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Through the use of situated practice in the classroom, educators promote student interaction, discussion, and sharing of ideas. This is yet another example of how literacy is a social practice, where students are able to develop their knowledge through relating and connecting to their prior knowledge with others.
The New London Group (1996) defines situated practice is an “immersion in meaningful practices within a community of learners who are capable of playing multiple and different roles based on their background and experiences” (NLG, 1996, p. 85). While it is important that students are sharing ideas through discussions in the classroom, in the 21st century and further into the future, teachers should be also be using, creating and encouraging the use of situated practice outside of the classroom through the use of technological tools. There are a variety of online collaboration tools that students can use to continue to communicate through online discussions with communities of practice. Using discussion in online environments help students interact through drawing on their schema, and allowing them to present information informally through a variety of creative modes rather than just speech. Through the use of online environments where students can situate their learning, students can “understand the value of classroom activities within a community of learners. Teachers can potentially help students understand and learn multiple perspectives of their classmates and teachers.” (Biswas, 2014) |