Vicarious Learning Blog

Virtual Reality techniques in teaching Surgery

There is an interesting PhD research thesis exploring the many uses, skills and methods involved in teaching surgery techniques by Grange, S. (2006) "A Virtual University Infrastructure For Orthopaedic Surgical Training With Integrated Simulation" which is available as a PDF download from Electonics and Computer Science EPrints at Southampton University.

In itself this work does not address observational or vicarious learning (to date), but it is a very interesting review of the many ICT approaches that are now available to teachers. As part of the general content of the research there is some well thought out background information. In this context I particularly liked the reminder that the etymology for the word 'Doctor' in based on the latin for teacher.

The reading is quite broad, so there are interesting references around virtual reality in surgery. Of particular interest is the book by Lave

• (128) Lave EW. Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1990.

One I'm sure a large number of us have read. Amongst the many concepts developed in this book that of Legitimate Peripheral Participation must be central to any understanding or explanation of Vicarious Learning

Learners inevitably participate in communities of practitioners and? the mastery of knowledge and skill requires newcomers to move toward full participation in the socio-cultural practices of a community. "Legitimate peripheral participation" provides a way to speak about the relations between newcomers and old-timers, and about activities, identities, artefacts, and communities of knowledge and practice. A person?s intentions to learn are engaged and the meaning of learning is configured through the process of becoming a full participant in a socio-cultural practice. This social process, includes, indeed it subsumes, the learning of knowledgeable skills. (Lave and Wenger 1991: 29)

Reference:

• Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger (1991) Situated Learning. Legitimate peripheral participation, Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press. 138 pages.

Pathbreaking book that first developed the idea that learning 'is a process of participation in communities of practice, participation that is at first legitimately peripheral but that increases gradually in engagement and complexity'.

Posted at 01:58PM Jun 24, 2008 by Finbar Dineen in General  |  Comments[0]