Chapter 3 Readers
The next question posed in Chapter 3 is: What is the relation of learning
activity to development and through what steps does learning proceed?
LBE begins with a discussion of LSV's zone of proximal and the limitations
of selected interpretations of the concept. YE proposes that the idea of
the zpd needs development. He then makes a novel transformation of LSV's
definition of the zpd by defining the new zpd as the "the distance between
the present everyday actions of the individuals the historically new form
of the societal activity that can be collectively generated as a solution
to the double bind potentially embedded in the everyday actions." Michael
pointed to this in an earlier post.
Learning by the collective precedes the development of the collective;
however, for the collective to learn, learning tasks must be distributed
among and accomplished by individual members groups of the collective. Some
members of the collective may be accomplished in what may be new learning
for particular individuals. The point is that it new learning for some
individuals. Another key element is that important learning is not
immediate. Important learning occurs later and is observed in the
transformations and application of the content mastered earlier. My
interpretation is that the most desirable evidence of learning occurs when
the individual applies the new knowledge and skill in socially meaningful
way, affecting the activity of the collective. In turn, the activity of
the collective has an effect on the individual, co-constructing each other
and resulting in expansive learning for the collective and its members.
The procession of learning and development begins with and "disturbing
event". My interpretation is that the event may be within the collective
or nudged by the activity of another collective activity. The collective
object becomes the necessary learning and re-mediation prompted by the
disturbance. The outcome is short-lived activity as usual state. The
collective activity is a perpetual perturbation-producing organization.
The chapter also points out that the traveling through the zpd and learning
by expanding is not accomplished in is short spurts. I see this as a major
problem in education. There seems to be a notion that teachers can
"construct and move groups of students through zpds on a daily basis. The
kind of thinking is present in school reform.
To reduce the space needed to operationalize LBE, YE will begin with an
analysis of episodes from Tom Sawyer. Before going there, I have question
for the group:
Is learning by expanding attained at the end of a zpd, at the attainment of
an intermediary goal, at the attainment of an outcome, at points along the
trajectory created by successive zpds, or where?
Bill Blanton
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