(Two Related Conferences on Relationships Between Practice and Theory)
______________________________________________________________________
The Paradox of Practice and Theory:
Changing Visions in a Postmodern World
October 23-25, 1997
Thursday: 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Friday and Saturday: 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
Relations between practice and theory in education are changing in
educational circles worldwide. Postmodern thought has called into question
traditional distinctions made between theory and practice and theorists and
teachers. Ironically, many claims of integration of action with theory are
coming from the university, not the classroom. Teachers' voices, rich
knowledge, and experiential bases are critically important in advancing
equitable, high quality education for all children. This conference will bring
together educators from the classroom, the university, and beyond to address
the ways that practice may help shape the theory of the future, and ways that
theories may be used to guide action. Examination of the work of master
classroom teachers and of the work of John Dewey and Lev Vygotsky (two
theorists who attempted to integrate practice with theory) will be used as
springboards for discussion. Participants can engage in a variety of exchanges
through
. a reader's theater
. local/national/international dialogues
. workshops
. classroom visits
. multimedia presentations
to elaborate, question, and critique the relevance of theory and practice in
their lives and professional work.
The Psychology of Culture and the Culture of Psychology:
Some Educational Implications
October 25-26, 1997
Saturday and Sunday: 8:30 - 6:00 pm
The work of Lev Vygotsky is increasingly viewed as relevant to many of
the pressing educational and psychological problems that we currently face.
Because much of his work focused on learning and development, Vygotsky is read
primarily as an educational and cognitive psychologist. This conference
approaches his work within the wider framework of an exploration of the
psychology of culture and the culture of psychology. Through discussions and
workshops, participants and invited speakers will together address such issues
as
. How can we characterize the culture
of current psychology and
the psychology of current culture?
. Are psychology and culture at cross-
purposes?
. What might "being at cross-purposes"
mean for education?
. What are we to make of postmodern moves to
understand human life within a cultural framework?
. What in culture makes it a potential
force for human growth?
Shared Conference Guests
Gita Vygodskaya, the daughter of Lev Vygotsky, received her Ph.D. in psychology
from Moscow State University in 1959. For most of her career, she specialized
in work with aphasic and language disordered children. She is presently active
as a speaker and writer about her father's life and work and, since 1994, has
traveled widely engaging audiences with intimate portraits of her father and of
the creation of a cultural/historical approach to human life.
Jacques Carpay received his Ph.D. from Utrecht University, the Netherlands. He
is emeritus professor of Educational Studies and Teaching Theory at Free
University Amsterdam. Together with Carel van Parreren, at the end of the
1960s he introduced the basic tenets of Vygotsky's cultural-historical
psychology in the Netherlands and the Flemish part of Belgium. Both authors
extended Vygotsky's inheritance especially in the domains of teaching and
learning in schools. In recent years Dr. Carpay has also explored the
influence of the work of John Dewey on educational theory in Western Europe and
Russia. Jacques Carpay is a foreign associated member of the Russian Academy
of Education.
Joe Glick received his Ph.D. in psychology from Clark University in 1964. His
interests in human development include cross-cultural research, developmental
theory, and most recently, the work place as a potentially developmental
environment. A professor of psychology at the City University of New York
(CUNY) Graduate School and Research Center, he is the newly appointed executive
officer of psychology for all of CUNY. Dr. Glick authored the introduction to
Volume 4 of the series The Collected Works of L.S. Vygotsky.
2
Highlights of The Paradox of Practice and Theory...
Harriet K. Cuffaro received her Ed.D. in early childhood education from the
Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College in 1982. Since 1968,
she has been a member of the Graduate Faculty of Bank Street College of
Education in New York City. A scholar of the work of John Dewey, Dr. Cuffaro
recently published a widely acclaimed book (Experimenting with the World....)
illustrating in detailed examples of classroom practice the essential unity of
practice and theory in Dewey's work and its use in the act of teaching.
Karen Gallas is a primary school teacher and a teacher researcher. She
investigates issues of language, literacy, and culture in her classroom and is
also a member of the Brookline (Massachusetts) Teacher Research Seminar. She
has published two books with Teachers College Press, Languages of Learning...
and Talking their Way into Science.
Alexander Adamsky holds a Ph.D. in the area of educational modeling and design.
As the Rector of the Eureka Free Educational Center, he oversees all the
activities of that innovative organization in projects located throughout
Russia, as well as in several associated countries in Europe. Eureka's work
encompasses graduate courses for teachers earning advanced diplomas from
kindergarten through high school practice, inservice seminars for program
managers and teachers across Russia, and an international, intercultural summer
school for high school students. Dr. Adamsky is accompanied by a team of
Eureka teachers, managers, and faculty who have pioneered renewed attention to
Vygotsky's work in educational reform in Russia.
Interactors and Presenters (classroom teachers, principals, supervisors, and
teacher educators) jointly planning this conference include...
(in alphabetical order)
George A. Coleman Sarai Nieves
Bill Coury Mindy Ochsner
Linda Davey Sharon Ryan
Yvonne De Gaetano Alison Price
Douglas Georgerian Sam Shreyar
Celia Genishi Lara Steensland
Herbert Ginsburg Susan Stires
Sonia Gulardo Sal Vascellaro
Min Hong Robyn Ulzheimer
Elina Lampert-Shepel Leslie R. Williams
Brett Marianetti Mary M. Yarnall
Shirle Moone Childs
Highlights of The Psychology of Culture...
Elena Kravtsova received her Ph.D. from Moscow State University in 1996. She
and her husband Genady Kravtsov have created Project Golden Key, an alternative
educational approach currently implemented in over 30 child centers in Russia.
Their work is one contemporary application to education of Vygotsky's views on
culture and psychology. Dr, Kravtsova is the daughter of Gita Vygodskaya and
the granddaughter of Lev Vygotsky.
Fred Newman is a philosopher, therapist, and playwright whose performatory
approach to human development has been the impetus for several development
projects including social therapy centers, the All Stars Talent Show Network,
and Performance of a Lifetime interactive growth theater. He is currently
director of training at the East Side Institute for Short Term Psychotherapy
and artistic director of the Castillo Theater, both in New York City. He
received his Ph.D. in philosophy of science from Stanford University in 1963.
Boris Gindis was educated both in Russia (Ph.D. from Moscow Institute of
General and Educational Psychology) and the United States (CUNY). He is a NYS
licensed psychologist and certified bilingual school psychologist . Dr. Gindis
currently works for the New York City Board of Education and is on the faculty
of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Touro College, New York
City. He was a guest editor of two psychological journals devoted to the
scientific legacy of L. S. Vygotsky.
Christine LaCerva received her Masters in Special Education from Teachers
College in 1980. A former dancer turned special educator, in the 1980s she
trained as a therapist specializing in children's and family groups. Ms.
LaCerva is director of the Brooklyn Center for Social Therapy and co-clinical
director of the East Side Center for Social Therapy in Manhattan.
Lois Holzman received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Columbia
University in 1977 and, since then, has worked as a researcher and program
consultant for child, youth, and higher education projects. As a Vygotskian,
she promotes the potential of Vygotsky's work to revolutionarily transform
psychology and education. Formerly the director of the Vygotskian laboratory
school, The Barbara Taylor School, she now heads the Center for Developmental
Learning at the East Side Institute for Short Term Psychotherapy in New York
City.
Conference Sponsors
The Center for Educational Outreach and Innovation
The Department of Curriculum and Teaching
The Department of Human Development
The Department of International and Transcultural Studies
The Eureka Free Educational Center of Moscow
Registration Infomation
The Paradox of Practice and Theory... (TY6502 sec 1) is designed for
classroom teachers, supervisors, administrators across grade levels, and
teacher educators serving preservice and inservice students who wish to
consider the influences of practice on theory making, and of theory on the
development of practice in real-life classrooms.
The Psychology of Culture... (TY6502 sec 2) is designed for
professionals and students in education (classroom teachers, teacher educators,
and educational and school psychologists) and mental health (clinical and
counseling psychologists, social workers, child care and family workers) who
are interested in or want to be introduced to new, interdisciplinary
perspectives and practices in psychology and education.
Persons may register for either conference as non-credit participants
($135 for one conference), or may register as non-credit participants for a
four-day, combination of the two conferences ($175).
Students wishing to receive graduate credit may register for a single
conference for one credit ($610 a credit), or may register for both
conferences for a total of two credits ($1220). Attendance at an additional
seminar one evening during the week of October 27 will be required for those
taking the conference(s) for credit. Please contact the Office of Educational
Outreach and Innovation if you wish to register for credit.
Registration Form
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FOR
__The Paradox of Practice & Theory... $135 non-credit
__The Psychology of Culture... $135 non-credit
__Both conferences $175 non-credit
PLEASE MAIL OR FAX TO:
The Center for Educational Outreach and Innovation
Teachers College, Columbia University
Box 132, 525 West 120 Street
New York, NY 10027
phone: 212 678-3802
fax: 212 678-8417