[Xmca-l] Re: How much fun are we having . . .

[Wendy Maples]

Thanks so much for this, Anthony.
I'm game. In fact, I use a similar explanation a lot, so it would be interesting to hear to what extent Vygotskians think what I say is a mis-representation/complete travesty!
The other day, I was in the position of explaining a Vygotskian approach (so perhaps already a mis-representation) to a parent volunteer at a learning centre for adults with learning difficulties. My starting premise is (always) 'start where the student is at' (the classic Open University credo), whatever that might mean, in whatever context. Then I explained the ZPD as that space between where the learner is now and where they could be with the right support (a good teacher, a good learning environment, appropriate equipment) and that what matters is getting that space 'right' -- judging what is too little/too much of a leap through that space to the learning achievement (whatever that might mean, in whatever context).
Yes, there's more, but for me it's a starting point.
Looking forward to others' insights!
Best wishes,
Wendy


________________________________
From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu> on behalf of Anthony Barra <anthonymbarra@gmail.com>
Sent: 28 November 2020 20:32
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
Subject: [Xmca-l] How much fun are we having . . .

Recently, a small spat has spun into an interesting larger discussion, and mostly productive at that.

The whole spat, however, began with a misunderstanding.  When sharing the "Why generations?" video, Andy was alluding, lightly and positively, to a previous video where he himself was "put on the spot" (ironically enough in a post titled "Let's have some fun!<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://eur06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fculturalpraxis.net*2Fwordpress1*2F2020*2F11*2F09*2Fan-audience-participation-question-lets-have-some-fun*2F__*3B!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaTroRXAcg*24&data=04*7C01*7C*7C24978560d4784dfae62008d893dd2666*7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa*7C1*7C0*7C637421925327713914*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=YieWplUotPlUmccxR2AXCSux9luU3CS4E*2FC8I53p8KE*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!Mih3wA!RO_i_y-JX8OI4IODOSHDXgmVNGTygNsMJFdTC5XGoNFz5BC1652CBwGldoOca4TwgH7p8w$ >").  In my family, from childhood onward, 'on the spot' always had a positive, even playful connotation. (Maybe it's an italian-american thing?)

Sadly, the initial offer of fun, three weeks ago, was hardly taken up, save for a brief, interesting response from Huw Lloyd.  But the party shouldn't end, and the open-ended question remains:
How would YOU explain Vygotsky's theory for a general audience -- e.g., parents, teachers, coaches, relatives -- without sacrificing too much accuracy?

Andy gave it a nice go, without advanced warning (i.e., 'on the spot').  I think it's a pretty hard question, and maybe a poorly asked one -- but what if many of us weighed in and gave it a shot?  It'd probably be less hard then, and certainly interesting (and likely beneficial to anyone looking to share Vygotsky's work in various settings beyond academe) ---> "the pool of collective knowledge is big," perhaps even oceanic.

No one wants my advice, but this would be it: assume you have something worth saying and also that it might not come out as well as you'd like AND that people will want to hear it anyway, and even more importantly, that the momentum of having many voices contribute will be worth as much (probably more) than any individual contribution (i.e., literally no pressure).

Give it a shot here, maybe even in video-form if you'd like: "An Audience Participation Question . . . Let's Have Some Fun!"<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://eur06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fculturalpraxis.net*2Fwordpress1*2F2020*2F11*2F09*2Fan-audience-participation-question-lets-have-some-fun*2F__*3B!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaTroRXAcg*24&data=04*7C01*7C*7C24978560d4784dfae62008d893dd2666*7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa*7C1*7C0*7C637421925327723908*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=jQtfmG3kPTBu7JqDz5vx440lGd3FlMNpozSSHCXgbU8*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!Mih3wA!RO_i_y-JX8OI4IODOSHDXgmVNGTygNsMJFdTC5XGoNFz5BC1652CBwGldoOca4TkAuu_qw$ >  <<But please avert your eyes at the 1:47-1:48 mark>> (I kid, I kid!)

There are other good videos over at CulturalPraxis -- and hopefully, the uptick in xmca engagement will spill over to there as well (the more the merrier).

As Natalia Gajdamaschko has suggested, "development comes out of resolving some sort of contradiction..some type of crisis -- a good crisis<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://eur06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fculturalpraxis.net*2Fwordpress1*2F2020*2F10*2F05*2Fvideo-series-join-the-discussion-dr-natalia-gajdamaschko-crisis-in-the-classroom*2F__*3B!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaQl-3J_Og*24&data=04*7C01*7C*7C24978560d4784dfae62008d893dd2666*7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa*7C1*7C0*7C637421925327723908*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=Lnc81kLynRStP2p*2BZhCgkE2oQmv484pYAyCRhW*2BoD00*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!Mih3wA!RO_i_y-JX8OI4IODOSHDXgmVNGTygNsMJFdTC5XGoNFz5BC1652CBwGldoOca4SAD49-4A$ >."

Enjoy,

Anthony



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