Learning situations: main types and examples

Learning situations have originated as a response to modern educational needs, aiming to create contextualized and strategic academic experiences.

This methodology does not only incorporate educational materials, but it can also be used as a tool to create dynamic experiences for students to learn valuable skills like creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving in real-world settings.

While providing autonomous access to knowledge, learning situations also help students acquire essential competencies for contemporary times.

But what are learning situations? In this article, we will cover the different types of learning situations in education and their characteristics. Additionally, you will learn how to design them and the role artificial intelligence plays in this context. 

What are learning situations?

Learning situations are educational strategies in which students engage in activities linked to essential and specific competencies, which may correspond to instructional units or lesson plans.

These practices help students develop the skills and competencies they will need at each phase of their education as they take an active role in their own learning process. 

For these methodologies to succeed, the educational approaches need to be based on the students’ interests, allowing them to develop autonomy and feel motivated to learn through their own experiences.

The ultimate goal of learning situations is to integrate curricular elements from different subjects and areas of study into the students’ real-life experiences through relevant and meaningful activities.

Additionally, this approach fosters creative problem-solving and collaboration among students as they develop essential skills for the real-world challenges they will eventually face.

Globally, governments recognize different learning situations in their policies and regulations to ensure that education remains inclusive, accessible, equitable, applicable, and relevant to modern times.

Characteristics of learning situations in education

Here is what learning situations have in common: 

• Student-teacher relationship: The student becomes part of the process, being able to exercise independence throughout the learning journey. The teacher, meanwhile, takes on a role as mentor, guide, or facilitator in the learning process.
• Approach: While flexible, learning situations should be centered on developing both general and specific skills outlined in the curricular plan.
• Execution: Teachers need to schedule learning experiences that align with curricular units and create the optimal circumstances for students to learn. This is about consideration of context, learning environment, processing of information, and integrative tasks.
• Outcome: Learning situations should result in a set of cognitive, emotional, and affective actions that lead, ultimately, to autonomous and strategic learning.

Principles of learning situations

Learning situations are built on principles that support both the process of learning and the movement toward shared goals:

• They are conducted within real-world contexts and involve core knowledge that progressively builds in complexity.
• They rely on active learning methods driven by the students’ interests.
• They allow for different approaches to transform knowledge into long-lasting competencies that students can apply throughout their lives.
• They present complex tasks, which provide an opportunity for students to see reality from both individual and group perspectives.
• They foster the acquisition of transversal and specific competencies, as well as soft skills like autonomy, self-confidence, reflexivity, and critical thinking.
• They impart values associated with democratic coexistence, sustainability and issues of common concern, allowing students to successfully deal with modern-day challenges.
• They encourage verbal interaction while incorporating resources in analog and digital formats.
• They involve increasingly complex tasks, allowing students to acquire knowledge and become aware of their own development. 

Learning situations will be successful as long as students become aware of their skills and abilities in response to a given activity, internalizing the challenges and demands of their social context. This explains the fact that learning situations have become the cornerstone of modern educational development. 

Types and examples of learning situations in education

Learnings situations are activities grounded in the social, political, and economic reality of the students. When framed properly, they create meaningful and memorable learning experiences.

Common learning situation examples include project-based activities, where students provide solutions to real-life problems, and case study analyses, which develop critical thinking through realistic scenarios. Simulations are also regular learning situations in educational contexts. 

Different learning situations often explore topics such as inequality, sustainability, environmental protection, circular economy, recycling, and technology.

Projects

Projects are typically complex, meaningful, and interdisciplinary learning situations, commonly designed to foster teamwork and engagement over a set period of time.

Over the course of a project, students have to research, collect and interpret data, schedule activities, develop hypotheses and come to conclusions in a logical and coherent way. In order to complete it, they must share their findings with the rest of the class or create a prototype or end product applying the acquired knowledge.

For instance, a team working on improving a renewable energy system would have to research the original state of the system, learn about basic concepts, experiment with solutions, and present their findings.

Case studies

Case study analysis is another type of learning situation that requires students to profoundly examine a complex scenario using various sources of information, including theories and concepts needed to understand its causes and explore potential solutions.

For example, teachers in a history class might ask students to debate the decisions made by the leaders of the French Revolution.

For that purpose, students must first research the social, economical, and political context of the time, become familiar with concepts like monarchy and republic, and learn about the key figures of the movement  so that they can construct solid, persuasive, and well-supported arguments.

Simulations

Simulations are learning situations that involve recreating real or fictional scenarios in a safe environment, allowing students to experience the consequences and learn for themselves. 

As an example, students may use educational software or augmented reality to create a model of an ecosystem and then see and deduce how local plants and animals are affected by water pollution.

After studying the situation, they will be expected to propose solutions to improve resource management, enhance waste treatment, and optimize recycling processes.

These three are examples of learning situations, but there are more. Needless to say, each type of activity requires a specific approach and an appropriate methodology to achieve the desired educational goals.

Methodologies for developing learning situations

As mentioned above, learning situations aim to actively engage students in their education by facilitating the acquisition of knowledge and skills through relevant pedagogic experiences.

In order to achieve this, it is crucial to incorporate methodologies that encourage participation, reflection, and practical application of the following approaches:

• Project-Based Learning (PBL): Encourages skill development through research, inquiry, and solution-oriented activities.
• Gamification: Uses game elements to motivate and engage with the students while simplifying complex learning situations.
• Discovery Learning: Encourages independent learning by involving students in investigative tasks that stimulate curiosity and critical thinking.
• Cooperative Learning: Divides students into small groups to achieve common goals, promoting both individual and collective accountability as well as interpersonal skills.
• STEM Education: Integrates science, engineering, technology, and mathematics in an interdisciplinary way, encouraging problem-solving and experimentation.
• Flipped Classroom: Reverses the traditional classroom structure, requiring students to prepare topics independently before discussing them in class, encouraging deeper understanding through anticipation and saving time for practical assignments.
• Social Learning: Based on the idea that people learn through observation, imitation, and interaction with their environment, this methodology helps students develop skills through the experiences of others and external stimuli. 

---

---

The importance of inclusive classrooms in learning situations

Learning situations pursue the goal of helping students build a foundation for lifelong learning.

Therefore, the learning model should align with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accommodate students’ diverse learning paces and characteristics to contribute to inclusive classrooms.

That being said, teachers’ proposals should be adapted to the particular needs of every educational stage, including early childhood education and elementary and high school.

Learning situations in early childhood education

Early childhood education focuses on the development of basic abilities, such as motor coordination, communication and socialization, and basic problem solving.

At this stage, sensory activities and hands-on experiences encourage curiosity, creativity, and discovery helping children prepare for subsequent learning opportunities.

Learning situations in elementary school

In primary school, dynamic and practical learning situations become more structured. At this stage, group projects and experiments in real-world contexts are common.

For example, students might be tasked with looking after the school garden to develop teamwork and responsibility. They might as well visit a farm to understand its functioning or create a slide presentation to learn basic computer skills. 

The focus is on enhancing communication skills and both teamwork and independent work, social skills for interaction and conflict resolution, and digital literacy for responsible use of information and communication technologies, including good digital hygiene practices.

Learning situations in high school 

Throughout their educational journey, students have been preparing to absorb more complex information, develop critical thinking and analytical skills, and become gradually more independent.

Strategies for developing learning situations can vary and may include project-based learning, case studies, or simulations as stated before.

These educational activities may involve analyzing historical events, conducting scientific investigations, engaging in debates about current social or political issues, or serving the community.

How to design a learning situation

There are three relevant aspects to consider when organizing a learning situation:

1. It must be appealing to students

For a learning situation to be effective, it must capture students’ interest and spark their curiosity. The topics should be relevant to them, for example, social media, artificial intelligence, videogames, or local events. 

In a way, this methodology approaches students like potential clients, identifying their needs and interests so they engage actively in the learning process.

2. It must be contextualized

Connecting activities to relatable experiences leads to meaningful and impactful learning.

For example, if during a geography lesson on seismic activity, teachers reference real-world events, such as earthquakes that have taken place near their location, the lesson will be more likely to make a lasting impact on the students.

3. It must be justified

Learning situations must also be aligned with the educational path to ensure that they support the academic objectives. This alignment guarantees that students acquire and develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies at a determined educational stage.

Steps to create learning situations

Keeping those principles in mind, take the following steps to design the learning situations that best fit students´ educational needs:

• Define the goals using the SMART methodology (they should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound).
• Choose the learning situations based on the competencies and skills the students need to develop.
• Use the methodology that best suits the activity.
• Design the activities that will make up the learning situation and make them cumulative so that students learn progressively.
• Prepare the necessary resources and materials, integrating both analog and digital tools.
• Determine the order and time of events.
• Employ both formative and summative assessment strategies: formative to provide feedback and guidance, and summative to evaluate final learning outcomes.

Unquestionably, technology and artificial intelligence can help optimize the creation of these experiences to enhance learning journeys.

Artificial intelligence and learning situations: advantages and challenges 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential to improve learning scenarios through personalization, enhanced accessibility and interaction, as well as through methods that appeal to digital learners.

Artificial intelligence facilitates the creation of immersive experiences, such as virtual labs and personalized educational games. However, it should be integrated in an ethical manner, always prioritizing human learning as a tool rather than a replacement for critical thinking.

The main challenges artificial intelligence poses in education are related to increased technological dependence and the digital divide, which in turn, can aggravate inequality. Inappropriate use of user data also causes ethical concerns and data privacy risks.

At Smowltech, we have been working for years to provide secure proctoring solutions that comply with the strictest data privacy regulations and protocols. More than 200 institutions worldwide have used our innovative solutions to supervise digital exams.

SMOWL seamlessly integrates with the most widely used Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle, and is also compatible with built-in learning platforms via API.

Request a free demo to learn more.

---

---