Re: online seminar

From: Gordon Wells (gwells@cats.ucsc.edu)
Date: Sun Sep 15 2002 - 09:54:54 PDT


>
> > I think Gordon's idea of strands is good, and I would also like to get a
>> "lay of the land". My particular interest is in CHAT & workplace learning;
>> it would be great to convene with others sharing that interest, maybe
>> working as a special interest group within the course to come up with a
>> list of readings for the larger group and serving as facilitators when the
>> general group discusses that particular area. But I would also want other
>> strands to do the same so I can get a broader context for current research
> > and practice.>

Continuing with the idea of different strands catering to the
interests of people in different fields,
I should like to make some suggestions for a strand for those
interested in education, which is my own field.

First, I would support Vera's proposal to include Thought and
Language by Vygotsky in the (1987) translation by Norris Minnick in
Volume 1 of Vygotsky's Collected Works. Chapter 6 is particularly
important, as it contains Vygotsky's discussion of the zpd in the
context of schooling. This topic could be further developed by
looking at some recent publications that consider how this concept
has been interpreted by a variety of educators.

A second issue is the role of semiotic (and particularly linguistic)
mediation in learning and teaching. Again, this has been addressed in
a number of recent publications, including articles in MCA and
Linguistics and Education.

Although perhaps special pleading, I should also like to suggest
"Learning for Life in the 21st Century: Sociocultural perspectives on
the Future of Education", which I have just edited with Guy Claxton
(Blackwell, 2002). It contains chapters by some 20 educators who
illustrate how CHAT provides a powerful framework for improving
public education.

Gordon

-- 
Gordon Wells
UC Santa Cruz.
gwells@cats.ucsc.edu		http://people.ucsc.edu/~gwells/



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