Legitimate+Peripheral+Participation

According to Lave, "learners inevitably participate in communities of practitioners and that the mastery of knowledge and skill requires newcomers to move toward full participation in the sociocultural practices of a community."(p.29)

According to Lave and Wenger, it serves as a "descriptor of engagement in social practice that entails learning as an integral constituent" (p. 35). It is a view of learning that must be looked at as a whole, instead of being broken down into its various aspects. It is important to view it in this manner because each aspect of the theory is interrelated with every other aspect, and if the theory were decomposed, it would not provide the intended meaning.

According to Lave and Wenger, it is a method by which newcomers are "admitted" into a community of learning. New members first participate in simple tasks as they become acquainted with the community. These initial tasks are necessary, but simple (legitimate and peripheral). As time progresses, these tasks become more complex until the new member becomes an experienced member. This provides a way to speak about the relationships between full members and newcomers (as well as those in between).

"...legitimate peripheral participation is not itself an educational form, much less a pedogogical strategy or a teaching technique. It is an analytical viewpoint on learning, a way of understanding learning." (Lave Wenger, 1991, p.40)

"...takes place no matter which educational form provides a context for learning, or whether there is any intentional educational form at all." (Lave Wenger, 1991, p.40)