“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

 W e 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

Prerequisites

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

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 motivation §e.g. undergrads – the fundamental motivation course credit

The Role of Discoordination §Discoordination and conflict are inevitable §e.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