1. CHAT Cultural historical activity theory
Sten Ludvigsen
InterMedia
University of Oslo

2. CHAT – InterMedia Empirical contexts – InterMedia
Design experiments in schools (science, project work, social science, art history, etc)
Other naturalistic settings – workplaces (hospitals, computer engineering, software development – knowledge management system in action)
Video-ethnography –
observations – documents – video-recordings- interview – logs,

3. CHAT (1) the idea of object-orientation
(2) the idea of mutual constitution of actions and activity systems
(3) the idea of mediation by tools and signs
(4) the idea of historicity
(5) the idea of multi-voicedness of activity
(6) the idea of contradictions as source of change
(7) the idea of zone of proximal development/expansion

4. Object-orientation
The object
The idea of radical transformation

5. The object LEONT’EV: THE IS NO ACTIVITY WITHOUT AN OBJECT
THE OBJECT GIVES DURABLE DIRECTION AND PURPOSE TO ACTIVITY: IT IS THE TRUE MOTIVE OF ACTIVITY (NOT REDUCIBLE TO CONSCIOUS GOALS)
OBJECT IS A MOVING TARGET, NEVER FULLY ACCOMPLISHED: A HORIZON OF POSSIBLE ACTIONS
OBJCET IS MULTI-FACETED, A MOSAIC OF MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS, VOICES AND POSITIONINGS
OBJECT RESISTS AND KICKS BACK

6. Objects-orientation– social interaction, dialogues
NEW WAVE OF ATTEMPTS TO BUILD A THEORY OF LEARNING AND COGNITION ON DIALOGUE AND COMMUNICATION AS OPPOSED TO OBJECT-ORIENTATION
GERRY STAHL: GROUP COGNITION (MIT Press, 2006)
RUPERT WEGERIF: DIALOGIC EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY (Springer, 2007)
ANNA SFARD: THINKING AS COMMUNICATING (Cambridge University Press, 2008)

7. CHAT VYGOTSKY vs. BAKHTIN DIALECTICS vs. DIALOGISM
TOOL-MEDIATION vs. MEDIATION BY OTHER PEOPLE
TIME AND HISTORY vs. SPACE AND SITUATION
MATERIALITY AND MULTIMODALITY vs. SIGNS AND TALK

8. CHAT – objects
OBJECT TENDS TO BE DESCRIBED AS FROZEN, REIFIED AND STATIC
NEGLECT OF THE DYNAMICS OF OBJECTS AS UNFINISHED PROJECTS (Latour, Knorr-Cetina)
OBJECTS NOT SEEN IN THEIR MOVEMENT AND TRANSFORMATIONS (compare Engeström & Blackler, 2005)

9. CHAT – objects
OBJECT TENDS TO BE DESCRIBED AS FROZEN, REIFIED AND STATIC
NEGLECT OF THE DYNAMICS OF OBJECTS AS UNFINISHED PROJECTS (Latour, Knorr-Cetina)
OBJECTS NOT SEEN IN THEIR MOVEMENT AND TRANSFORMATIONS (compare Engeström & Blackler, 2005)

10. Objects – history TRADITIONAL CRAFT: PERSONAL OBJECT
MASS PRODUCTION: ISOLATED AND STANDARDIZED, YET PROBLEMATIC OBJECT
WILDFIRE ACTIVITY: RUNAWAY OBJECT

11. CHAT
Action and activity

12. The mediated action: Vygotsky’s original formulationX
Source: Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

13. The mediated action: a useful reformulation
Tool
Subject
Outcome
Object
Source: Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit.
(available online at:

14. Three levels of functioning in activity systems
Oriented towards
Carried out by
Activity
Object / motive
Community
Action
Goal
Individual or group
Operation
Conditions
(including tools)
Routinized human or machine
Source: Leont'ev, A. N. (1978). Activity, consciousness, and personality. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

15. The activity system Instruments: Object Production Subject Outcome
tools and signs
Object
Production
sense,
meaning
Subject
Outcome
Consumption
Exchange
Distribution
Rules
Community
Division of labor
Source: Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit.
(available online at:

16. The activity system Instruments: Object Subject Outcome Rules
tools and signs
Object
sense,
meaning
Subject
Outcome
Rules
Community
Division of labor
Source: Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit.
(available online at:

17. Two Interacting activity systems
Instruments
Instruments
Potentially shared object
Subject
Subject
Rules
Community
Division of labor
Division of labor
Community
Rules
Source: Engeström, Y. (2001) Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization. Journal of Education and Work, 14,

18. Mediation

20. HISTORICAL FORMS OF WORK (adapted from Victor & Boynton, 1998)
7/29/2019
© 2007 Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research

21. EPISTEMIC LAYERS OF INSTRUMENTALITY
WHERE
TO?
GERM CELL
MODELS
WHY?
SYSTEMS MODELS
HOW, IN WHICH ORDER?
ALGORITHMS,
SCRIPTS, HEURISTIC RULES
IN WHICH LOCATION?
CLASSIFICATIONS, CATALOGUES, REPOSITORIES
WHO, WHAT, WHEN?
STORIES, NARRATIVES
WHAT?
IMAGES, PROTOTYPES, RECOGNITION DEVICES,
DECLARATION DEVICES, LISTS
EPISTEMIC LAYERS OF INSTRUMENTALITY

22. Historicity

24. © 2007 Center for Activity Theory

25. MULTI-VOICEDNESS

26. CHAT – multi-voicedness
In activities
Medicine; Lay persons language, Social medicine, Bio-medical
School; policy, curriculum, concepts, everyday experience

28. Contradictions within the activity system
Instruments:
tools and signs
Object
sense,
meaning
Subject
Outcome
Rules
Community
Division of labor
Source: Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit.
(available online at:

29. ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT / EXPANSION

30. Collective ZPD
LEARNING WHAT IS NOT YET THERE: THE OBJECT OF ACTIVITY IS QUALITATIVELY TRANSFORMED SO AS TO OPEN UP A HORIZON OF WIDER POSSIBILITIES AND NEW ACTIONS
EXPANSIVE LEARNING IS INITIATED BY SMALL INDIVIDUAL DEVIATING ACTIONS
SOCIO-SPATIAL DIMENSION: THE OBJECT BECOMES BIGGER IN SIZE AND ENCOMPASSES MORE ACTORS
TEMPORAL DIMENSION: THE OBJECT BECOMES MORE DURABLE AND SPANS A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME
ETHICAL-POLITICAL DIMENSION: THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF THE NEW OBJECT REQUIRE NEW KINDS OF RESPONSIBILITY

32. AND TESTING THE NEW MODEL
7. CONSOLIDATING AND GENERALIZING THE NEW PRACTICE
STABILIZATION
6. REFLECTING ON THE PROCESS
1. QUESTIONING
NEED STATE
RESISTANCE
2. ANALYSIS
5. IMPLEMENTING THE NEW MODEL
DOUBLE BIND
3. MODELING THE NEW SOLUTION
ADJUSTMENT,
ENRICHMENT
BREAKTHROUGH
4. EXAMINING
AND TESTING THE NEW MODEL
Source: Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit. (available online at:

34. phylogenetic mode sociogenetic ontogenetic mediation microgenetic
past present
phylogenetic
macro
mode
sociogenetic
ontogenetic
mediation
microgenetic
micro