Re: Question concerning Vygotsky

From: eliza@pob.huji.ac.il
Date: Sun Feb 22 2004 - 13:09:21 PST


Quoting N*** <vygotsky who-is-at nateweb.info>:

Hi Nate,
Concerning what you wrote:
>>What I would be curious about is examples of an intellectual tradition
at a higher level than individual, yet not "academic" (colleges and
universities). One example that comes to mind is the Socialist Sunday
Schools in the early 1900's.<<

The best example that I have seen are the Yemenite-Talmudic schools. The
traditionally educated Yemenite children have an exceptionally high level of
literacy and intellectual capacity. One of the work-men I served as a
librarian is a classical example of wasted intellectual talent he would come
to the library and take text-books on maths just for the fun of solving
mathematical problems. One of the Yemenite Rabbinical Scholars (died 1984)
said after he started to learn to read at the age of three the teacher had him
memorize Talmudic Passages and explain them already at the age of seven. A
well known example is the Israeli born Yemenite song-writer and composer Avihu
Medina who wrote his best pieces wilst cutting diamonds. His father was a
Rabbinical Scholar who schooled him in the traditional way – he became secular
after his mother died at the age of 12. Another such example is Ofrah Hazza.
Also the Talmud Schools in the Middle East before 1948 where distinguished for
their high-level education.

Alisa

-------------------------------------------------
This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Mar 01 2004 - 01:00:08 PST