Instructional Design for Situated Learning [] Michael F. Young The design of situated learning must be closely linked to the ecological psychology of "situated cognition,'" as exemplified by prob- lem solving in a complex situated context, the Jasper Series. The extreme view of situ- ated learning contends that all thinking must be viewed as situated, and is therefore better explained by concepts of perception and action than by the concepts of informa- tion processing psychology. In this article, ideas of ecological psychology provide the background for describing four broad tasks for the design of situated learning: selecting the situations, providing scaffolding, determin- ing and supporting the role of the teacher, and assessing situated learning. Further, three metrics for evaluating situated learning are suggested: affording transfer, providing meaning, and providing an anchor for cross- curricular investigation. [] Brown, Collins, and Duguid (1989) have suggested that learning should take place in the context of realistic settings in which the reasons for learning sometimes repetitive or tedious procedures are made clear--an idea with roots tracing back to experiential learn- ing (Dewey, 1938). Using what Brown et al. (1989) called "authentic tasks" enables students to immerse themselves in the culture of an aca- demic domain, much like an apprentice tai- lor can be immersed in the culture of tailoring while only being responsible for ironing the garments finished by the master tailor. Brown et aI. suggested that cognitive apprenticeships can be designed that immerse students in the culture of traditional academic domains such as mathematics, science, history, art, music, and languages. By being immersed in such realistic contexts, the need to learn certain repetitive or tedious skills is made evident, thus requiring less direct explanation by the teacher. The Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1990, 1992) extended the ideas of cognitive apprenticeships by proposing macro-contexts (complex situations) that can "anchor" instruction in subjects across the cur- riculum. A recent commission designed to implement the nation's educational goals summarizes: We believe, after examining the findings of cog- nitive science, that the most effective way of learning skills is "'in context," placing learning objectives within a real environment rather than ETR&D, Vol. 41, No. I, pp. 43-58 tSSNt042-1629 43