Situated Learning in Multimedia-Based Interpreting...
The concept of situated learning was first described as an emerging model of instruction in 1989(Brown，Collins，and Duguid).It is defined as a contextdependent approach to learning where learners are exposed to real-life simulated environments and tasks.In situated learning，learners are subjected to a process in which they become involved with the“context”and“culture”where the activity occurs，and inherit declarative and procedural knowledge through this contextual social interaction.As the principal proponents of situated learning，Brown，Collins，and Duguid(1989)derived the key elements from observations of successful learning environments.The theories that underpin the notion of situated learning generally contend that meaningful learning will only take place if it is embedded in the social and physical context within which it will be used.The breadth of work covering the theory of situated learning was influenced by the great educational thinkers，including Vygotsky，Leontiev，and Dewey.Resnick(1987)，Lave and Wenger(1991)have also made contributions to the area of situated learning theory and practice.Resnick pre-empted discussion on situated learning by proposing that“bridging apprenticeship”be designed to bridge the gap between the theoretical learning in the formal instruction of the classroom and the real-life application of the knowledge in the workplace.Learners become involved in a“community of practice”where students advance from a“novice”to an“expert”in the community.Lave and Wenger(1991)discuss this process and call it the process of “legitimate peripheral participation”，in which Vygotsky’s(1978)Zone of Proximal Development(ZPD)is applied and reduced through “scaffolding”in a “community of practice”.Lave suggests that situated learning is not only reflecting upon and drawing implications from previous experiences but is immersion in and with the experience.Therefore，interpreting learning must be discussed within the context of a situated-learning environment.
Interpreting is a highly situated professional activity that relies on contextualised practice(Angelelli，2004;Prieto and Linares，2010).As such，interpreting should be taught as a practice in a situated learning environment.According to scholars(Lave and Wenger，1991;Wilson and Myers，2000)wellversed in situated learning，learning involves a gradual knowledge acquisition process which is situated in specific authentic contexts and is embedded within a particular social environment which makes learning meaningful，allowing it to be transferable to similar contexts.Simulation instruction adapted to a situated learning process would take the form of authentic work settings，and highly realistic anchoring contexts，such as multimedia programmes that create alternative context-rich experiences(Mc Lellan，1994).Additionally，these situated-learning simulations would replicate the consequences of situations that occur in reality，lower their anxiety level by providing a less threatening environment(Hyland，1993)，and provide scaffolding and critical feedback from mentors to promote academic and personal growth(Garcia-Carbonell and Watts，2010).Learning becomes a social process dependent upon transactions with others situated within a context that resembles as closely as possible the practice environment.The following section will review interpreting training in an MBL environment and will examine the benefits when specifically applied to interpreting learning.