Explaining the components of situated cognition theory-based teacher education

The present study is an attempt to explain the components of the teacher education curriculum based on the situated cognition theory. This theory, with a new attitude to the cognition and learning, believes that these two categories have been applied in specific situations. Therefore, people need to be involved in real-world situations to gain authentic knowledge.

Based on the perspective of situated cognition theory, the four main components of the teacher education curriculum, including teaching-learning opportunities, learning strategies, and evaluation were explained using theoretical inquiry. A prescriptive model of teacher education curriculum was presented in the form of teaching and learning strategies. This prescriptive model underlies the two concepts of cognitive apprenticeship and community of practice using learning opportunities to achieve the goals of the curriculum. The hidden evaluation component in the prescriptive model carried out to assess the process and output results.

The findings of the present study were discussed in terms of components such as goals, teaching-learning opportunities, learning strategies, and evaluation. In the goals section, four goals were focused on transferring well-appointed and applied knowledge to learners, social construction of meaning, training efficient and productive professional teachers, and shaping learners' professional identities. Learning opportunities have focused on doing authentic practices, discourse, narrative writing, scenario building, design, and visualization of their professional perceptions. Learning opportunities at the heart of two learning strategies, including cognitive apprenticeship, and communities of practice will accomplish the mentioned goals. Finally, the validated and authentic evaluation was proposed to evaluate the designed curriculum.

Researchers believe that the application of the curriculum framework based on the situated cognition theory in teacher education contributes to reducing the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge, and as a result, between theory and practice.