Re: [xmca] Re: Imitation and Creativity

[Robert Lake <boblake@georgiasouthern.edu>]

Mike,
Thanks for your comments on the book.
Who is reviewing it for MCA?

On Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 11:34 PM, mike cole <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Cathrene and Lois--
>
> My copy of the book went to the person who is writing a review for MCA, so
> I
> do not have it to hand.
> But it is clearly a good source to turn to as a way of mapping out ways of
> talking about imitation and zoped. For those who have not yet ordered the
> book, its possible to get a good sample of what
> Cathrene was referring to by checking Amazon.com, and searching the
> contents
> for, say, imitation.
>
> To much there for me to type out each example, but here is a passage from
> Lois's chapter that I found thought provoking.
>
> "Children do not imitate anything and everything as a parrot does,  rather
> what is beyond them developmentally speaking and yet present in their
> environment and their relationships."
>
> So, there are several relevant distinctions implied in just this one
> passage, including:
>
> Children and parrots imitate differently
> Parrots imitate everything (I am assuming that we are talking about
> language
> spoken by humans?, not sure).
> Children imitate only what is going to develop at some proximal time.
>
> In this context, the use of the term "creative imitation" which I have been
> trying to think about for the past several months, brings to mind the
> notion
> that there must be something called "non-creative imitation" but
> I am not sure what a synonym would be that could be substituted for
> "non-creative" as a positive characterization.
>
> So, Cathrene, Lois, and Ana, what "kinds of imitation" do you think it
> worth
> considering for our purposes?
>
> Harking back to Michael Glassman's earlier note in this thread, I do not
> think that it is helpful to contrast imitation with mimicry without further
> specification. The first three primary definitions of mimicry used by the
> Oxford English Dictionary all involve the term, imitation, as a part of
> their defining characteristics. If they are not simply synonyms according
> to
> the OED, the variations are very underspecified.
>
> Clearly Lois sees an intimate relation between imitation as she interprets
> that process and zopeds and adds another important term, creativity.
>
> We now have three core theoretical terms imbricated in the discussion of a
> cultural historical approach to development. If there are three core terms
> and, say, 3 interpretions of each term (imitation, zoped, creativity) seems
> like a pretty large matrix of possible interconnections as part of the
> system of development. My guess is that kinds of specifications cluster,
> but
> I have only a vague sense of how, so far.
>
> Is creative/non-creative the place to start, and then see what kinds of
> additional distinctions are warrantable?
>
> mike
>
> mike
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 5:44 PM, Lois Holzman <
> lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org> wrote:
>
> > Thanks, Cathrene, for the plug! I've wanted to get into this conversation
> > but just can't right now, so that article will have to suffice for anyone
> > interested.
> > Warm wishes to all for 2011 and new world creating,
> > Lois
> >
> >
> > Don't forget to check out the latest at http://loisholzman.org
> >
> > Lois Holzman, Ph.D.
> > Director, East Side Institute for Group and Short Term Psychotherapy
> > 920 Broadway, 14th floor
> > New York NY 10010
> > Chair, Global Outreach for UX (www.allstars.org/ux)
> > tel. 212.941.8906 ext. 324
> > fax 718.797.3966
> > lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org
> > www.eastsideinstitute.org
> > www.performingtheworld.org
> > loisholzman.org
> > www.allstars.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Dec 29, 2010, at 2:20 PM, <cconnery@ithaca.edu> <cconnery@ithaca.edu>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hi there,
> > > Lois Holzman has some excellent observations about creativity, learning
> > and imitation in her chapter in Vygotsky and Creativity. So do Oreck &
> > Nicholls in the same text, although their statments are less direct and
> more
> > implied.
> > > Happy New Year to all,
> > > Cathrene
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-- 
*Robert Lake  Ed.D.
*Assistant Professor
Social Foundations of Education
Dept. of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Georgia Southern University
P. O. Box 8144
Phone: (912) 478-5125
Fax: (912) 478-5382
Statesboro, GA  30460

 *Democracy must be born anew in every generation, and education is its
midwife.*
*-*John Dewey.
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