What is learning Nov. something: Case-based learning

     What is learning?    Acquiring knowledge and skills.    I understand and agree with people exchanging stories as a basis for learning from each other, and using actual situations as a base for learning,  but how on earth does this take place in public education?  I would love it but cannot find the jumping-off point for accomplishing it.      Learning does take place and is meaningful when it is part of a real situation, when current knowledge does not fill a need and so  needs to be updated.  Learning is communicating with other learners and teachers.  For example, in English, students will be required to write a letter to an editor about something they've read in the paper (why and what we are reading still needs to be established, mind you).   Of course, such a letter needs to communicate an idea, have correct grammar, etc.  thus creating a real-life scenario.  I am not sure if it creates an expectation failure, but it is authentic, motivating (I hope), and can consist of a story the student is telling the editor that relates to the story the student read.  

     The teacher of course, creates the situation in which the learning will take place, or at least recognizes it and points the students in the right direction.     This is the difficult part of the scenario, at least for me.  I  am unsure of how to create a case for my students to solve and which requires them to fail and find a new way to think.    However it is done, this kind of teaching is super-effective, I believe, because it is far more interesting and applicable to life.