Semiotic Mediation is an effective teaching practice

From: MnFamilyMan@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 30 2001 - 16:54:37 PST


In a message dated 10/29/2001 5:59:32 PM Central Standard Time,
Phillip_White@ceo.cudenver.edu writes:

> is not vygotsky's theory of semiotic mediation a kind of symbolic
> bootstrapping? and certainly, such bootstrapping as described by Edelman,
> a recursive process.
>

Mediation is too tied into Vygotsky's emphasis on Psychology as a practice
for it to be summarily dismissed as some totem. It is within this framework
that one may start to see what Vygotsky's methodology entailed: the
description of an individual's development within the context of that
individual's environment. semiotic mediation is not "just a good idea" that
educators should try out as some new trick for instructing their students it
is an actual byproduct of Best Practice teaching. Vygotsky did not attempt
to devise some grand master teaching program; he was bissecting the
teacher-learner relationship and explaining the process that develops as a
result of this relationship.

His crisis is that psychologists had for years looked towards inventing a
methodology (both for understanding psychological constructs and practicing
psychological theory) in order to steer research rather then allowing the
methodology to 'develop' as a result of practicing instuction that was of
benefit to the student. Vygotsky is huge on his emphasis of relevance to the
student and I believe he emphasizes this in order to remind researchers that
it is the benefit of the student which is the goal; not the reinforcement of
some theory that was concocted in the sterile confines of a laboratory.

For what it is worth I am curious about whether others see Vygotksy's crisis
as still relelvant or whether some believe social sciences do not need a
unified methodology.

Still interested in discussing the crisis,
Eric



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