[Xmca-l] Re: digital immersion mongrel Vygotsky

[Bill Kerr]

It's difficult to summarise Martin Nakata's Cultural Interface theory but
his PhD is available online: https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/11908/

It was later published as "Disciplining the Savages, Savaging the
Disciplines" (2007)

I'll provide a limited extract, p. 33-4 from the PhD link

A Countervailing Hypothesis
An alternate view of the current educational literature is that unresolved
problems experienced in the 1990s can not be a simple case of a lack of
basic
infrastructures to support policy positions. Nor can the problem be seen as
a
simple case of appropriating a 'different agenda' for people of another
culture.
In order to improve educational outcomes, Islander positions in schooling
need to be considered as a dynamic lifeworld of a complex interplay between
what is known as history by Islanders and what non-Islanders know as
history. And we will not be able to fully realise what that lifeworld is
about
until we understand more about the epistemological constraints in historical
practices that have served to constitute Islander positions in terms of
'them
and us' relations. It is, I would argue, because non-Islanders have reified
these positions between 'them and us' as if these are the ways things are
and
always have been. In their many documentations of Islanders in these ways,
they have institutionalised a modus operandi which, in turn, has served not
only to limit what can or can not be seen as positions and experiences in
schools but also how schooling situations for Islanders can be improved. A
countervailing hypothesis then is that the 'them and us' schema in
histories,
and its reification across the many documentations of Islanders over the
past
Century has set the conditions as well as the limits that constrain how we
are
to intervene in Islander education. By investigating the documentation that
gives witness to what non-Islanders have done when they have intervened in
Islander lifeworlds, and by investigating the knowledges produced on
Islanders by non-Islanders we will gain a much clearer understanding of the
position of Islanders and the way non-Islander intervention has conditioned
our lifeworld. From this position, a clearer understanding of the limits of
current educational reform trends can be gained. And following on from this,
it may then be possible to begin to construct an alternative foundation from
which to view the educational issues which concern Islanders.

On Sun, Apr 8, 2018 at 11:05 AM, mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu> wrote:

> Cool note, Bill.
> Having failed several times in this general arena, I am always interested
> in finding the sweet spot. In my experience, the process of change means
> that "the spot" itself is, to borrow Yrjo's phrase, a "runaway object."
>
> Further engagement now entails that people do some common reading
> and that can be a perilous undertaking on xmca! Often the distribution
> of the key texts help a lot, or links.
>
> Saturday evening over here. Headed out for the evening, but look forward
> to the followups.
>
> Good Sunday morning to you.
>
> mike
>
> On Sat, Apr 7, 2018 at 5:47 PM, Bill Kerr <billkerr@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > off topic Andy - but what I said was Noel's DI approach in the Djarragun
> > school context not necessarily DI as such. My 4000 word essay on that is
> > Life After Noel here
> > https://sites.google.com/site/livingcontradictions/life-after-noel As an
> > evidence based approach and plenty of anecdotes I have heard  in
> > Australia's deep north it can still be argued that "DI works" not as a
> life
> > long approach but in the context of a catch up approach for those who
> have
> > missed out on early years basic literacy and numeracy. If you want to
> > discuss my "Life after Noel' essay or DI in general then please start
> > another thread.
> >
> > This thread is about "digital immersion mongrel Vygotsky" not DI or Noel.
> >
> > On Sun, Apr 8, 2018 at 10:32 AM, Andy Blunden <andyb@marxists.org>
> wrote:
> >
> > > So you have given Direct Instruction a fail, Bill. For
> > > people in the field that is probably not a surprise, but it
> > > is very significant for the general public here in Oz. Could
> > > you summarise what brought you to the conclusion?
> > >
> > > Andy
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > Andy Blunden
> > > ttp://www.ethicalpolitics.org/ablunden/index.htm
> > > On 8/04/2018 10:02 AM, Bill Kerr wrote:
> > > > I'll put this up for discussion. It has been a twisted road for me to
> > get
> > > > to this point. I had a fail with the Noel Pearson's Direct
> Instruction
> > > > approach near Cairns and have now moved to Alice Springs as a good
> > > location
> > > > for further action research into Australian indigenous issues.
> > > >
> > > > DIGITAL IMMERSION MONGREL VYGOTSKY
> > > > - a contextual pathway to enable modern indigenous technology
> > > >
> > > > The origin of this was an exploration of an effective way
> > (pragmatically)
> > > > to bring digital technology to indigenous people. This turned into a
> > > hands
> > > > on exploration of disparate fields which for convenience can be
> > organised
> > > > under three sub-headings which can in turn be melded together:
> > > >
> > > > *Epistemology*: One interpretation of Vygotsky argues that all
> > knowledge
> > > is
> > > > socially constructed and that ethnomethodology, paying detailed
> > attention
> > > > in the now, is the best or only way of detecting and evaluating what
> is
> > > > going on (Wolff-Michael Roth). This world view is critical of other
> > > > learning theories be they behaviourist, cognitivist or
> constructivist.
> > > >
> > > > *Culture*: Martin Nakata’s (cultural interface) and Kwame Appiah’s
> > > > (cosmopolitan) approach is that indigenous (and other) culture is
> > mongrel
> > > > (no longer traditional), consisting of disparate, complex threads
> > created
> > > > by the intermingling of the traditional with the colonial. It follows
> > > from
> > > > this that effective communication between different cultures must be
> > > > contextual based on paying detailed attention to the now.
> > > >
> > > > *Technology*: Taking a broad view there are many human technologies
> > > > originating from the hand and the word. Digital technology (moving
> > bits)
> > > is
> > > > now replacing print as the dominant social medium. The only effective
> > way
> > > > to master digital technology is through full immersion in the medium.
> > > Some
> > > > groups working with the Disadvantaged in the Third World have
> > understood
> > > > this, eg. Learning Equality, and use affordable hardware (Raspberry
> Pi
> > > and
> > > > low-cost Android tablets), software (FOSS) and infrastructure
> > (sneakernet
> > > > where internet connectivity is limited).
> > > >
> > > > Combining these approached leads to “Digital Immersion Mongrel
> > Vygotsky”.
> > > > The goal is to combine these three approaches to find the contextual
> > > sweet
> > > > spot in the middle of the teething rings.
> > > >
> > > > *Reference*:
> > > > Appiah, Kwame Anthony. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of
> Strangers
> > > > (2007)
> > > > Learning Equality https://learningequality.org/
> > > > Nakata, Martin. Disciplining the Savages, Savaging the Disciplines
> > (2007)
> > > > Roth, Wolff-Michael. The Mathematics of Mathematics: Thinking with
> the
> > > > Late, Spinozist Vygotsky (2017)
> > >
> > >
> >
>