Jean Lave

(United States )

Jean Lave is a social anthropologist who graduated from Harvard in 1968 and has been at UC Berkeley, where she is currently professor of education and geography, since 1989.  A key figure in socio-constructivist theories of learning, she developed the concept of situated cognition with a study showing California housewives unable to reproduce in the classroom basic arithmetical calculations which they successfully performed while shopping.  She is also known for her collaborative work with Etienne Wenger on the concepts of legitimate peripheral participation and communities of practice.

Lave, J. (1988). Cognition in Practice

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation

Activities

1. Visit Lave's university homepage
2. Read more: Situated learning