The benefits of providing students with realistic learning experiences through situated learning have been documented (e.g., see Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989). Proponents argue that, in situated learning, students develop deep understandings of applications because they participate in activities that simulate real-world situations while using the assistance of mentors or expert practitioners. However, skeptics contend that most studies refer to isolated instances within certain disciplines and offer limited evidence of successful formal integrated coursework involving mathematics. They suggest caution in endorsing full-force promotion of integrated curriculum and continue to ask for hard evidence of its value (e.g., see George, 1996).
The premises underlying an integrated approach are promising, though, and there are hints of evidence suggesting a variety of benefits, other than gains in scores, associated with mathematics learned in context. For instance, by asking students to participate in simulations that depict real-life problems in assembly and manufacturing operations (Scribner & Stevens, 1989) and building experiences (Verzoni, 1996), elementary and junior high school students demonstrated that it may be possible for schools to promote active learning through mathematics problem solving in realistic contexts. Hall and Stevens (1995) have further suggested that active learning in contextual scenarios produce great opportunities for exhibiting competencies often overlooked in traditional curricular activities. By comparing mathematical practices in architectural design, they found that teamwork produces various forms of learning whereby novices' competence is shaped by interactions with expert individuals and experiences beyond the classroom. These are experiences that would normally be lost in traditional curricular activities. Others have confirmed that realistic mathematical tasks requiring multiple-solution strategies and representations are crucial in building students' reasoning abilities (Stein, Grover, & Henningsen, 1996). However, we are far from moving in that direction because instruction still focuses on rote memorization of information (Romberg & Carpenter, 1986). This and other problems still seriously inhibit the implementation of education reforms.