[Xmca-l] Re: Form, Function, and Hope

[Robert Lake]

Hi again Everyone!
I recognize that most of what I write here is redundant and part of the
given history of XCMA, but I think we need to continually renew our
metalanguage by spelling out key concepts  for newcomers and of course  our
own students. Otherwise we could end up like the prisoners on Alcatraz that
had been so long together that they knew all  knew each other's jokes, so
all they needed to say was "number 39 ha, ha ". "Well number 6 back to you".

In terms of the praxis of hope and being within the zpd, I love Michael
Cole's (1996) notion of prolepsis which is predicated on  LSV's concept of
budding .Prolepsis is the perception of an anticipated or future condition
of development before it actually exists as an internalized state of being.
"The zone of proximal development defines those functions that have not yet
matured but are in the process of maturation, functions that will mature
tomorrow but are currently in an embryonic state. These functions could be
termed the “buds” or “flowers” of development rather than the “fruits” of
development.” (Vygotsky, 1978, p.86)" *So hope of further **development** is
based on present "being".* For example  at some point in life , probably
all of us were  told that we had real potential as a scholar or teacher .
Prolepsis is a rare and extremely valuable tool in education if teachers
and mentors can use it realistically as a means to help students move into
spaces that are truly within their grasp through interaction with those who
see can look at the bud and see the fruit until prolepsis becomes
internalized by the student themselves. Boris Meshcheryakov (2007) calls
this transition a process of moving from “heteroprolepsis” to
“autoprolepsis” (p.166).

An example of each would be when a parent hears their child humming on key
or reproducing entire tunes in various levels of complexity, they will of
course, under normal conditions, encourage their offspring toward some
future musical activity by reporting their performance to them with
something like “when you were two, you could hum all the notes to that song
and I know you will do quite well with piano lessons”.Meshcheryakov goes on
to relate an example of autoprolepsis in children’s role playing when the
child imagines “him or herself in various adults’ roles (hunter, mother,
teacher, etc.), imitating the elements of cultural forms of behavior” (p.
167). Many future and present teachers for example can recall a time when
they used to pretend teach their siblings or maybe even their stuffed
animals. But this role-play does not cease as we grow out of childhood.
Student teaching, apprenticeships, GA's  could all be zpd spaces with the
potential of  moving from heteroprolepsis to autoprolepsis.


Cole, M.,(1996). *Cultural psychology: A once and future* *discipline.*
Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press.


Meshcheryakov, B. G. (2007). Terminology in L. S. Vygotsky’s writings. In
Daniels, H., Cole, M., Wertsch, J. V. (Eds.)  *The Cambridge companion to
Vygotsky*. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.


Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). *Mind in society*. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.




On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 10:27 AM, Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com> wrote:

> The theme [sense] of hope within an atmosphere [mood] of despair, dread,
> and cynicism has been referred to as "blues hope".
> The question of "being" in the present moment and only from this moment can
> we act is presented as a relation with blues hope.
> This "being" which sociocultural themes indicate "carries" form which
> develop in particular practices of creating "collectives".
> So where do we situate Bloch's notion of "hope" within these "forms" as
> cultural-historical embedded practices.
>
> Athanasios Marvakis answer [page 2] is:
>
> "The 'utopian' is not located - as a speculation - in a transcendent and
> separate realm else-where or else-when.  Utopianism AS future orientedness
> - is immanent in the present, and the issue IS [LP - being] to detect,
> recognize, and discern, rather than to criticise, the blurred and fuzzy
> MANIFESTATIONS of hope - AS the emotional energizing ground [LP - coming
> into form] of utopianism - that EXIST [LP - have their being] within
> everyday life."
>
> I would say this is one "theme" or sense that can be "generated" to
> Annalisa's question on only being in the present moment "exists"
>
> Larry
>



-- 

*Robert Lake  Ed.D.*Associate Professor
Social Foundations of Education
Dept. of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Georgia Southern University
Secretary/Treasurer-AERA- Paulo Freire Special Interest Group
P. O. Box 8144
Phone: (912) 478-0355
Fax: (912) 478-5382
Statesboro, GA  30460