Sustainability has become a key concept, with individuals and organizations looking for ways to mitigate their negative impacts on the environment. There is a growing emphasis on understanding how economic activities can adapt to better fit within ecosystems, maximizing benefits without depleting resources.
Sustainability, then, is partly about deeply understanding the context one is operating in and adapting practices accordingly. Similarly, some psychology researchers emphasize the importance of context for understanding human behaviors. Theories of “situated cognition” propose that knowledge is constructed within, and linked to, the context in which it is learned. This stands in contrast to the traditional “information-processing” view, which describes learning as the process of abstracting information from the environment and storing it in a decontextualized way. The situated cognition perspective holds that learning is inherently social, contextual, and deeply embedded in the activities, culture, and environment in which it occurs.
Let’s dive into some of the ideas from situated cognition and their implications for learning before returning to the idea of sustainability.
Knowledge in practice
One of the key tenets of situated cognition is that knowledge is demonstrated (and developed) through actions. Said differently, this perspective holds that knowing is inseparable from doing, and understanding is constructed through active participation in relevant tasks.
One implication of this is that learning may be more robust when it is placed within the context of how it will be used. Taking a dedicated course on a new skill can be useful, but being guided through how that skill actually applies in your everyday work context provides a deeper and more practical understanding. For example, consider a new software engineer who has studied coding languages and algorithms extensively. It is through working on real projects, adapting to specific coding environments, team workflows, and project requirements, that true expertise is developed. The hands-on experience, embedded in the actual context of practice, allows the engineer to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical skills effectively.
Context is crucial
The critical importance of context goes further than just being important for the individual that is learning. In the situated cognition view, knowledge is not some abstract entity that resides in a person’s head; it is deeply embedded across the context in which it is used.
Consider a novice surgeon who has studied techniques and theory extensively. When entering the operating room, will they know how to complete a surgery with the specific tools available, alongside a specific team, and on a specific patient? A novice surgeon might have all the theoretical knowledge and skills but could struggle to execute those actions in the specific context of an operating room. The environment, tools, and social dynamics all play a role in how knowledge is applied and practiced. By analyzing the whole set of factors in a context, one can understand it much more fully than just by focusing on the information in the minds of the participants.
One might even go so far as to say that the surgeon isn’t doing an operation, the operating room is! This perspective takes into account the surgeon, other doctors present, the anesthesiologist, nurses, operating instruments like scalpels, measurement instruments like heart-rate monitors, and many other elements, but the key idea is that this more holistic view can tell you something more accurate than just understanding what each individual is thinking and doing in isolation.
Cognitive apprenticeships
Before modern educational systems were in place, most practical instruction involved a mentor and a pupil. Whether the student was learning a household skill, farming techniques, or a craft such as metalworking or painting, their interactions followed the basic idea of apprenticeship. The expert shows the novice how to do something (modeling), gives them an opportunity to practice with support (scaffolding), provides feedback, and chooses appropriate subsequent tasks with the goal of helping the novice improve (coaching).
Some education theorists posit that elements of this apprenticeship model are fundamental to how all humans learn and should be adapted to the modern world. However, implementing this model in today’s educational landscape presents challenges. In formal educational settings, one instructor teaches multiple students at once, making these processes difficult to scale. Additionally, many modern skills involve complex cognitive processes rather than physical ones. This requires a form of “cognitive apprenticeship,” where the expert demonstrates not only how to perform a task but also how to think through it.
A key component of cognitive apprenticeship is this act of making thinking visible. Experts articulate their thought processes, decision-making strategies, and problem-solving techniques as they perform tasks. This transparency helps learners internalize the practical and cognitive aspects of the task. For instance, in marketing, an expert might walk an intern through the process of developing a campaign, explaining the rationale behind each decision, from target audience analysis to creative concept development. This approach helps the intern develop a deeper understanding of the entire process, beyond just the execution.
In addition, as they practice the skill themselves, they can walk through their thinking process in a way that allows the expert to provide targeted feedback. Seeing that your trainee made a mistake is valuable, but understanding why they made that mistake can help you address it in a more efficient and effective way.
Connecting to sustainability
Understanding the importance of context in learning has profound implications for how we design and implement educational experiences. Just as sustainability requires adapting practices to fit within specific environmental contexts, effective learning requires adapting teaching methods to fit the specific context in which knowledge will be used.
Sustainability and situated cognition both emphasize the importance of context and the dynamic picture that emerges when multiple factors are considered. Efforts to create sustainable solutions teach us that complex ecosystems are more than just the sum of their parts. Similarly, by recognizing that knowledge is deeply embedded in the contexts in which it is learned and used, we can create educational practices that are authentic, engaging, and responsive to the complexities of the real world where that knowledge would be turned into action.
