“Psychology today seems less capable than ever of providing

a coherent account of the human mind”

Much contemporary research in psychology does not have

practical implications

We need to: Reformulate the questions we ask so that

disciplinary integration will be natural and necessary

Develop theoretical frameworks that can be understood/extended by a variety of disciplinary perspectives

Formulate methodologies that include participation from a variety of disciplines

Key Definitions

“Teleology”: a doctrine explaining phenomena by reference to goals or purposes

“Semiotics”: the study and general theory of signs and symbols in artificial and natural languages with regard to their relationship to the things they represent, to each other, and to their use

PrerequisitesVoices o f the M ind

W h y M ed ia ted A c tion ?H u m an ac tion typ ica lly em p loys

"m ed ia tion a l m ean s " su ch astoo ls an d lan g u ag e , w h ic h sh ap es ac tion

W h y A c tion ?H u m an s com e in to con tac t w ith

an d c rea te th e ir s u rrou n d in g an dth em se lves th rou g h th e ir ac tion s

W h y V o ices ?Th ere a re m u lt ip le w ays o f rep resen tin g

rea lity in ap p roac h in g a p rob lemTh in k : w h y a re p a rt ic u la r vo ic es "p rivileg ed "?

W h y V o ice?M en ta l fu n c tion in g in th e in d ivid u a lo rig in a tes in soc ia l, com m u n ica tive

p roces s

W h y M in d ?1 .M in d is o ften soc ia lly d is trib u ted

2 .M en ta l fu c tion in g is sh ap ed o r d e fin ed b ym ed ia tion a l m ean s u s ed to ca rry ou t a task

W h y S oc ioc u ltu ra l?To u n d ers tan d h ow m en ta l ac tion

is s itu a ted in cu ltu ra l, h is to rica l, an din s titu t ion a l se tt in g s

A S oc ioc u ltu ra l A p p roachto M ed ia ted A c tion

Themes of Vygotskian Sociocultural Approach to Mediated Action

GENETIC ANALYSIS - Phylogenic Transition

(elementary - higher mental functioning)

Ontogenesis (cultural/ organic devt)

Microgenesis - emerging mental patterns - thought to speech

DOMAIN RELATIONSHIP 1. Principles of Parallelism

(devt across domains simult) but each have own unique set of principles.

CRITICAL MOMENT - bifurcation of development into - Natural Psychological

- Cultural Psychological

Genetic Law of Cultural Devt

Occurs on 2 planes:

SOCIAL - interpsychological or intermental

PSYCHOLOGICAL - intrapsychological or intramental

Zone of Proximal Devt

The distance between: a) Learner’s actual devt level b) Higher level of potential

Teach to the level of POTENTIAL

MEDIATION

Higher mental functioning + Human Action are mediated by TOOLS (tech) + SIGNS (psych tools)

which alters the entire flow & structure of mental functions: determines the structure

of a new instrumental ACT. MEDIATIONAL MEANS originate in

social life.

SEMIOTIC POTENTIALS

SOCIAL SPEECH (external)EGOCENTRIC SPEECH (transitional)INNER SPEECH (internal)

The transition from one to the other r/t the way speech comes to serve as its own context (semiotic potential of language to increase contextualization)

Properties of Speech

SYNTACTIC - Inner has unique abbreviated fragmentory Syntax

SEMANTIC - Structure & Function of Inner & Egocentric differ from Social Speech

Sense predominates over meaning

Fluid, dynamic

Bakhtin’s Influence

VYGOTSKY studied INTRAMENTAL functioning & how conceptual devt emerged in institutionally situated activity eg teacher - student

BAKHTIN’s work extended this by looking at the sociocultural situatedness of mediated action on the INTERMENTAL plane - linked the inner with outer

BAKHTIN

UTTERANCE = unit of analysis in speech with a focus on situated action

VOICE - the speaking consciousness - expresses utterances with a unique point of view (voice)

SPEAKING CONSCIOUSNESS - written/spoken comm - with own perspective, intention, conceptual horizon, world view

VOICES always exist in a SOCIAL MILIEU

ADDRESSIVITY

MEANING requires the VOICE of the listener responding to the VOICE of the speaker/author

TRANSLATED in our minds into an active context = COUNTER WORD

Bakhtin’s Philosophy

“Any true understanding is dialogic in nature.”

Primordial Dialogism of Discourse

A SPEAKER’S concrete UTTERANCES INTERANIMATE the UTTERANCE of another

ALTERNATE in a rhythmic DIALOGUE

INNER SPEECH

Resembles the alternating lines of a DIALOGUE = INNER DIALOGUE

Like an inner transmitting & transmitted VOICE

SOCIAL LANGUAGE

We use different NATIONAL LANGUAGES for varied contexts

SOCIAL USE applies different discourse to specific social stratum in a given social system at a given time

Hybrid Construction

A VOICE uses two speech styles or two semantic belief systems

VENTILOQUATION - a VOICE speaks through another VOICE TYPE in a social language

Why After School Educational Activity is a Major Educational Issue (US)

1. Concern over declines in educational achievement across grade levels

2. Increased after school childcare demands

3. Debate over the consequences of holding children back a grade vs under preparing them for information society

4. Reform of higher education to include service learning opportunities, increasing student proficiency in working w/ new info technologies and increasing courses that expose students to rigorous research

Fifth Dimension

S ite C o-ord in a to r -s ite co-ord in a to r g e ts : work

-su p ervises th e flow o f ac tivity-tra in ed to recog n ize an d su p p ort p ed ag og y

-fou n d som e d ifficu lty ru n n in g a cou rseyear rou n d , com p u te r access issu es fo r

s tu d en ts , sch ed u lin g ch aos

U n ivers ity-s tu d en ts : g e t cou rse c red it an d focu s on

fie ld work an d rea l life exp erien ce-research ers g e t: work

S ch oo l A g ed C h ild ren-ch ild ren g e t: p lay, p eer in te rac tion , lea rn in g

- s ta ffin g su p p ort g en era llyq u ite m od es t

-lead s to h ig h leve l o ftu rn over

Th e C om m u n ity -s ta ff: g e t w ork

-com m u n ity g e ts : en rich ed ed u cation a lexp erien ces fo r ch ild ren

F ifth D im en s ionP artic ip an ts

Importance of Goal Formation

such collaborations need common goals

easiest at the highest level: to provide enriched educational experiences

more difficult at the specific level

Notion of Leading Activity

individual goals/personal motivatione.g. undergrads – the fundamental

motivation course credit

The Role of Discoordination

Discoordination and conflict are inevitablee.g. from community staff – the “formal”

demands for regular staffing, upkeep of equipment and different ways for adults and children to interact (non-hierarchical and non directive)

The Centrality of Communicative Practices and Mediational Means

Vygotsky: “thought is completed in the word”

thus, emphasized interactions where participants had to pause to comment on their problem solving in oral or written reflections

computer mediated communication was essential to interaction among experimental systems in different locations