Situational learning is a learning method proposed by Professor Jean Lave of the University of California, Berkeley and independent researcher Etienne Wenger around 1990.

The philosophical basis of situational learning theory should be a "situational rationality" view of knowledge. Habermas formally put forward the concept of "situational rationality" in the English version of Post-metaphysical Thinking published by 1994. The core idea of situational rationality is that human rationality is always embedded in specific situations and changes with the changes of situations; Transcendental, abstract and universal rationality does not exist. Every situation is a cognitive process and life experience of human beings in a certain time and space. Therefore, as Habermas said, the most important thing of situational rationality is that learners adopt a mutual understanding attitude to conduct full dialogue and exchange, and constantly expand their "local knowledge of time and space".