Ways of participating in a colleague's project: Radio use as collaborative activity in UN military observer training

This study examines interactional moments of radio use in an adult learning setting, focusing on ways team members in a patrolling exercise participate in their colleague's project in UN military observer training. I show that in training settings, participation involves joint orientation to a shared objective, and it is used to facilitate learning and development of new skills. Radio communication is an emblematic part of UN military observers' work, and it is the way patrols keep in touch with their base. Learning to use the radio is thus an important objective in the training. The data come from authentic simulated military observer training using English as a lingua franca. Findings are scalable to and applicable in various collaborative working and learning settings. • Participation orients to upcoming troubles or troubles that have already manifested. • Participation varies based on the sequential environment. • Participation in a colleague's work facilitates learning. • Participation displays orientation to learning to manage situations independently. • Mapping ways of participating broadens our understanding of collaborative work.