Learning is a changing phenomenon, depending on the advances in theory and research. This book presents a relatively new approach to learning, based on meaningful human activities in cultural practices and in collaboration with others. It draws extensively from the ideas of Lev Vygotsky and his recent followers. The book presents ideas that elaborate this learning theory and also gives recent developments and applications of this approach in a variety of educational situations in and outside of school. A core issue in the research presented in this book consists of the way people learn to make sense of and give meaning to cultural instruments and practices in collaboration with others.
Author(s): Bert van Oers, Ed Elbers, Rene van der Veer, Willem Wardekker
Edition: 1
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 418
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Contributors......Page 11
Preface......Page 15
INTRODUCTION......Page 17
Cultural evolution and the transformation of learning......Page 19
The history of learning theories......Page 20
Can learning be transformed?......Page 22
Transformation of learning......Page 23
Transformation by learning......Page 24
The diversity of learning goals......Page 26
References......Page 27
SECTION ONE: TENETS OF ACTIVITY THEORY......Page 29
Introduction to Section One: Exploring Vygotsky’s Legacy: The Meaning of Mediation......Page 31
References......Page 35
2 Multiple Readings of Vygotsky......Page 36
Multiple readings......Page 37
The Forbidden-Colors Task......Page 39
Complications: The Use of Different Strategies......Page 41
A Replication Study......Page 42
Vygotsky as Semiotician......Page 44
Conclusions......Page 50
References......Page 51
3 Exploring the Links between External and Internal Activity from a Cultural-Historical Perspective......Page 54
Common grounds of the cultural-historical activity theory......Page 56
The development of a new psychological paradigm......Page 59
From material activity to mental processes......Page 64
Concluding remarks......Page 70
References......Page 71
The tension between accounts of semiotic and activity-based mediation......Page 74
The notion of tool or artefact as mediator between individual and social......Page 76
How do we develop methodologies that enable us to explore the effects of nonverbal artefacts?......Page 81
Art lesson observed in ch school......Page 83
Art lesson observed in tc school......Page 84
Interpretation of displays......Page 85
References......Page 89
5 Language in Cultural-Historical Perspective......Page 92
Language and human activity......Page 94
Linguistics and psychology......Page 100
The Design Features Approach......Page 106
Language as a Set of Sentences......Page 107
Beginning from Origins......Page 108
The Word Becoming a Deed......Page 110
References......Page 113
6 The Formation Experiment in the Age of Hypermedia and Distance Learning......Page 116
The causal-genetic method as a research method of activity theory: theoretical prerequisites......Page 118
Comparison of classical experiment and causal-genetic method in human research......Page 121
Theoretical basis and key features of the causal-genetic method......Page 122
Developmental Zones......Page 123
Lifelong Development and Learning......Page 125
Hypermedia and distance learning......Page 126
Formative experiment and distance learning......Page 129
Empirical research: an example for a formation experiment......Page 131
Selected results......Page 133
Conclusions......Page 137
References......Page 138
7 Constructivism and Meaning Construction......Page 143
Cultural determinism and its surpassing......Page 144
The radical constructivism of ernst von glasersfeld......Page 145
Continuous recontextualization and the generalization of knowledge and skills......Page 148
Davidson and rorty on metaphor......Page 149
Conclusions......Page 150
References......Page 152
Introduction......Page 153
Vygotsky’s concept of sense: its meaning in the construction of the topic of subjectivity in the cultural-historical approach......Page 157
Subjective sense and subjective configurations: the construction of the topic of subjectivity in the cultural-historical approach......Page 161
Implications of subjectivity for a theoretical construction of human development......Page 166
References......Page 169
SECTION TWO: IDENTITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION......Page 171
Introduction to Section Two: Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion......Page 173
References......Page 177
9 Identity Shifts in Informal Learning Trajectories......Page 179
Learning and identity in our study of learning trajectories......Page 180
The study......Page 181
The support of individual trajectories......Page 183
Looking at the individual stories......Page 185
Tracey's Trajectory......Page 187
Maggie's Trajectory......Page 191
Discussion of the trajectories......Page 193
Some implications for policy......Page 194
Some implications for sat......Page 195
References......Page 196
Mexicans in new york......Page 198
Theoretical basis......Page 199
The study......Page 205
Activities leading to critical consciousness in children......Page 207
Children’s conceptions of illegality and citizenship......Page 209
Concluding thoughts......Page 213
References......Page 214
Conceptual and methodological approaches......Page 217
Cultural identity and emigration: an empirical study......Page 222
Procedure......Page 223
Category System......Page 224
Results and discussion......Page 225
Emigrants versus returned emigrants......Page 230
Conclusion......Page 232
References......Page 233
12 Diversity in the Construction of Modes of Collaboration in Multiethnic Classrooms: Continuity and Discontinuity of Cultural Scripts......Page 235
Classic Discontinuity......Page 236
Discontinuity within the Classroom......Page 237
(Dis)Continuity in the Present: Multiple Cultural Identities......Page 238
The study......Page 239
Classroom Norms on Collaboration and Sharing Knowledge as Represented by the Teacher......Page 240
Differences between Groups: Results of Quantitative Analysis......Page 241
Adoption of Classroom Norms on Collaboration in Mixed Groups......Page 242
Adoption of Classroom Norms on Collaboration for the Migrant Groups......Page 247
Discussion and conclusion......Page 251
References......Page 255
13 “Discourse” in Cultural-Historical Perspective: Critical Discourse Analysis, CHAT, and the Study of Social Change......Page 258
Cda and the problem of context......Page 259
Discourse in cultural-historical perspective......Page 261
“The conditions of class society and the struggle for ideology”......Page 262
Discourse and social change......Page 264
Ferguslie park......Page 265
The discourse of “partnership”......Page 266
The ferguslie park partnership......Page 269
The dialogics of partnership......Page 271
“Partnership” and “Poll Tax”......Page 272
The Disintegration of "Partnership"......Page 275
Forbidden Learning......Page 280
Ferguslie's "Community Business"......Page 281
Understanding the Implosion......Page 282
Partnership, culture, and politics......Page 283
Conclusion......Page 285
References......Page 286
The dialogic turn......Page 289
Intersubjective Orientations......Page 291
Interaction Rules......Page 293
Exploratory Talk as a Dialogical Model......Page 294
Expanding the model of reason......Page 296
Reflection......Page 299
Conclusion......Page 300
References......Page 301
SECTION THREE: DYNAMICS OF ACTIVITY AND THE VARIATIONS OF LEARNING......Page 303
15 Children’s Learning through Participation in Institutional Practice: A Model from the Perspective of Cultural-Historical Psychology......Page 310
The phylogenetic level: the instrumental act......Page 312
The societal level: the instrumental act and its location within institutional traditions......Page 313
Everyday Knowledge, Subject Matter Knowledge, and Professional Knowledge......Page 316
Variation in Practice Traditions within the Same Type of Institution......Page 319
Development of Motives......Page 322
Everyday Knowledge and Conceived Knowledge Transformed into Active Knowledge......Page 323
An example......Page 325
Experimental Teaching Where Children Construct and Use Models to Guide Their Learning Activity......Page 326
Creating and Rehearsing a Play (Twenty-sixth Session)......Page 328
Conclusion: identifying the four levels of learning activity......Page 331
Discussion......Page 332
References......Page 333
Introduction......Page 335
Materials......Page 340
Intervention Programme......Page 341
Data Analysis......Page 342
Level I. Analysis of the Interaction......Page 344
Level II. Analysis of the Discourse......Page 346
Level III. Analysis of Problem Solving......Page 348
Discussion......Page 350
Exploratory Talk......Page 352
References......Page 353
17 What Kinds of Tools and Resources Are Made Available to Students through Effective Guidance in a Student-Scientist Partnership Program?......Page 358
Program description......Page 359
Data collection and analysis......Page 360
Nature of Projects and Forms of Guidance......Page 361
Tools and Resources That the Students Could Appropriate......Page 366
Discussion......Page 369
References......Page 371
18 Girls on the Sidelines: “Gendered” Development in Early Childhood Classrooms......Page 374
Discussion of the literature......Page 375
Physical contact activity games: puppy-wrestling in the toddler room......Page 376
Non-physical-contact activity games: loud boys in the three-year-old room......Page 377
Discussion......Page 379
References......Page 382
Play and meanings......Page 386
Topics and predicates......Page 387
The production of inscriptions......Page 389
Children’s play and the production of inscriptions......Page 390
A Classification Problem......Page 391
Beyond Classification......Page 392
References......Page 394
The educational dimensions of pretend play......Page 396
A Relative Topic with Different Significations......Page 399
Modalities of Pretend Play......Page 402
Imitation or Manipulation of Objects......Page 405
Pretend Play with Personification......Page 406
Projected Pretend Play......Page 407
Illusion......Page 408
The place of pretend play in preschool education......Page 409
Final considerations......Page 411
References......Page 412
Index......Page 415
