[Xmca-l] Re: [External] Pain and suffering vs business as usual

Wed Dec 2 00:14:33 PST 2020

FWIW, I am exceedingly grateful for the posts added to this thread, such as those from Helena, Shirley and others before.

I hope there are more of you lurkers out there who will negotiate your path to the keyboard and contribute your experiences, which are valid,  but also important for others to read and contemplate.

Only go as far as you feel capable, but do try to undermine your particular flavor of FUD, just a little and not too much !

In consideration of what many here might value in a Vygotskian process, is it possible for individuals who seek professional peer support, that is, to work out ideas and drafts of papers, to gain that help here? Why not solicit to the list you are seeking cohorts. Break off and create your own little circle, a birds-of-a-feather (BOF) group, so that you might feel safe to try out ideas without feeling any pressure to broadcast anything to the list you might deem "under-baked." Without pressure of perfection.

I witnessed this process beautifully at LCHC for a student who wrote a paper for a fellowship application. The entire seminar period was dedicated to this verbalizing process, testing ideas, recognizing strengths and bolstering weaknesses. I don't recall who all was there, I know Mike was, and perhaps Greg Thomspon was skyping in, I want to say there were 5-7 of us there.

Such a process was a marvelous builder of confidence for the student, why not the foster the same exercise here through the list?

Let me propose a challenge: Approach others offlist and create your group of 3-4 and decide to meet on Zoom once a week, or every other week, or perhaps once per month, as works for all in the group. Commit to meet for one year. Schedule readings and discussions with a determined outcome for a polished paper or project. And you can email to one another on an as needed basis.

How about also keeping a BOF diary to present any discoveries to the list about your processes, once all is said and done?

Make the XMCA list you want to experience be realized in your own cohort group. XMCA doesn't corner the market on good academic discourse.

If you have trouble sourcing individuals for your group, why not post to the list with a general sense of your work and objectives you would like in your BOF collaborations, then wait and see who contacts you?

What I seek to answer is how to encourage, how to break through the screen and foster those connections meaningfully.

If my idea seems silly, let's hear some of yours! ??

Kind regards,

Annalisa

________________________________
From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu> on behalf of Shirley Franklin <shirlwhirl49@icloud.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 2:04 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: [External] Pain and suffering vs business as usual

  [EXTERNAL]

Hi

I also find the thought and actually  writing on here intimidating.

Most of us, here, are Vygotskians. I expect we would all share the notion  that we can work out our ideas about things through talk, and through writing. I love that process.

I always remember when we were first introduced to Vygotsky on an MA course at the London Institute of Education. One of our group talked a lot, mainly guff, but exploring ideas. He is now very much part of the academic establishment, with a Vygotsky-related PhD!

So to those who have been on this group for years, please allow others to explore. We are not in competition with each other. We can share and explore  knowledge collaboratively!

I think one of the problems in academia is the pressure to be right, the pressure to be original - I mean that’s how you keep your job, by churning out articles and books (about whatever!!). Someone like Lave (who was it?) wrote a brilliant article about this pressure on academics to produce capital for their employers, and to produce to stay in employment.

Colleagues, comrades, on this list are right when they say that the employment conditions  in academia are appalling. And if you are political, then you are more than likely to get a string of “nil hours” contracts, and/or teach under conditions that don't allow enough time for either preparation or research.

Shirley

Now, retired, but still writing, still researching.

On 1 Dec 2020, at 17:33, Walker, Dana <Dana.Walker@unco.edu<mailto:Dana.Walker@unco.edu>> wrote:

Thank you Anna for your insistence on continuing this conversation, and not going back to business as usual.  It helps to have some historical precedents and current issues made concrete. Among other things, it makes me feel less alone in my hesitation to participate in xmca. Knowing that folks are continuing the conversation with Audre Lorde is encouraging as well.  Your reference to Sarah Ahmed’s 2015 piece is an important reminder, and made me think of Eugene Matusov and Artyom Fyodorov’s efforts to help create a University of Students, described below.

Dana
Dana Walker, Ph.D.
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
University of Northern Colorado
(970 351-2720

Dear Open Syllabus Education folks—

We want to invite you to participate in a 10-min survey<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__https*3A*2F*2Fdelaware.ca1.qualtrics.com*2Fjfe*2Fform*2FSV_0feGjXCQPh8fNTT__*3B!!Mih3wA!TjWRwLkHMcrsogVEQaW4foQstNnZfYrcVIok3iRpKvIl7P8gwVIu3_txY5OleDxxlZOBzg*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cc83b6212c6054530673108d88bf396f9*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637413225619818684*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=0mbcgHtkQUsYU5p7FINecKp1k*2F2wg*2FyudA05lbfpMrs*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2x9yPms0A$> about your potential interest in establishing the University of Students (UniS) and forward this invitation to those (people or organizations) who might be interesting.

Our concept of the University of Students is based on the idea that a student the author of their own education. A student has an unalienated and sovereign right to freedom of education: to decide whether to study, what to study, how to study, with whom to study, when to study, where to study, why to study, what is good education, and so on. This decision-making can be done by the student-author alone, with peer students, and/or with a pedagogue. The University of Students exists for the students, by the students, through the students. According to our vision, the University of Students involves a rich learning environment. When you join the University of Students, you will have diverse opportunities for socializing with people of similar and different interests and expertise, for observation of and participation in many diverse activities and dialogues, for starting new projects, and for diverse sources of help, if you need any, -- all to support you self-education. The University of Students is not new, it existed in diverse forms for about 300 years in Southern Europe (https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.historytoday.com/alan-b-cobban/student-power-middle-ages__;!!Mih3wA!RWEZB6r-UEN2RLHCGHarCMUBilLd7pLumJcyGT1w0MLxQIKH-joysnLMdZJI2DaQsYrCew$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fwww.historytoday.com*2Falan-b-cobban*2Fstudent-power-middle-ages__*3B!!Mih3wA!TjWRwLkHMcrsogVEQaW4foQstNnZfYrcVIok3iRpKvIl7P8gwVIu3_txY5OleDyHAifmAQ*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cc83b6212c6054530673108d88bf396f9*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637413225619828687*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=zTiVx3EYWFnKPpe*2BaU1VyiiqZcZWvkJLn1BEmoTSyNE*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2xEZCWa3w$>).

The University of Students will provide ample opportunities for the creative professional implementation of educators and experts. There will be no educational standards, compulsory curricula, mandatory exams issued "from the top" (administrations) or "from the side" (colleagues), and there will be no need to write a huge number of reports on their work. According to our vision of UniS, an educator becomes a real educator when they are in demand by a student. At the University of Students, the student themselves determines and goes through their educational trajectory. At the same time, the student can be completely independent, or they can turn to an educator for help, who becomes for the student a guide -- a guide in the student's own educational journey. The educational process at the University of Students is a common cause of all its participants, based on the principles of cooperation, mutual respect, and goodwill.

If you are interested in the resurrection of and participation in this enterprise, please take the survey: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://delaware.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0feGjXCQPh8fNTT__;!!Mih3wA!RWEZB6r-UEN2RLHCGHarCMUBilLd7pLumJcyGT1w0MLxQIKH-joysnLMdZJI2Db7ie7Jdg$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__https*3A*2F*2Fdelaware.ca1.qualtrics.com*2Fjfe*2Fform*2FSV_0feGjXCQPh8fNTT__*3B!!Mih3wA!TjWRwLkHMcrsogVEQaW4foQstNnZfYrcVIok3iRpKvIl7P8gwVIu3_txY5OleDxxlZOBzg*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cc83b6212c6054530673108d88bf396f9*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637413225619838679*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=onu24kBtBx45IFAJjLYycesnv48sRDiuZHY4*2BoTjDpQ*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2yXfWXEvg$>. Also, please, forward this email to whoever might be interested regardless of their age (especially prospective UoS students). The purpose of this survey to check if there is enough public interest in the University of Students.

Let us know, please, if you have any questions.

Our best,

Artyom Fyodorov, a founder of the democratic school SOVUM, Tver', Russia, fedorov.artem.n@gmail.com<mailto:fedorov.artem.n@gmail.com>
Eugene Matusov, Professor of Education, University of Delaware, USA, ematusov@udel.edu<mailto:ematusov@udel.edu>
18 November 2020

From: <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu>> on behalf of "Stetsenko, Anna" <AStetsenko@gc.cuny.edu<mailto:AStetsenko@gc.cuny.edu>>
Reply-To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>>
Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 9:35 AM
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>>
Subject: [External][Xmca-l] Pain and suffering vs business as usual

Before we go back to business as usual, there is more to say on the recent crisis, which to me is not over. This is because I think we need to be “sensitive to that which is not over… We are up against history; walls. We need to support, stand with, and stand by, those students [and all who are marginalized] who are fighting to survive hostile institutions. It is our job.”
(this is from Sarah Ahmed, posted by Jacob Mac Williams on xmca in 2015, I will reference it several times, it’s a brilliant piece, google Against Students – The New Inquiry<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__https*3A*2F*2Fthenewinquiry.com*2Fagainst-students*2F__*3B!!Mih3wA!WAbdo5T8clZdbaSRiStryH25GERvxlFFvv7xm2PZaIowRAKm26u2lmlg1OXvKH2Q6_xIYA*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414544968*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=R0MDZ22r3gQ3qp2L8AFJjapsamkAIXB*2BLf49GwX*2FfUE*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2zU8p8oCg$>).

A short prelude – I attended an amazing meeting yesterday on Audre Lorde organized by the GC CUNY, Translating Audre Lorde Now /Traduciendo Audre Lorde Ahora. Scholars, educators, and students spoke about Lorde and centrally brought up the theme of pain and suffering in academia and beyond – for those who are marginalized due to their skin color, ethnicity, non-traditional gender identity…Perhaps there could be people who do not know or prefer not to know but this is directly relevant to xmca, where pain and suffering have been incurred and many experienced violence of racism, sexism, and discrimination. There have been interventions, and heart-felt notes from Mike, Antti, Alfredo (for example), yet they fall on deaf ears and many choose to remain oblivious to what is going on and to their own actions (!). We hear about this here on the list and even more in private emails – many are actually afraid to come up and share their experiences!
This is not a matter of just brining up grievances or of political correctness. This is a matter of well being, of being able to breath! “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare" Audre Lord.
I think we have been speaking of the crisis in general, abstract terms. But history is always concrete – and why not rise from the abstract to the concrete (for those who like to couch things in terms of “academic debates’)? Many conveniently return to “freedom of speech” and “inclusion” mantra. But in 2020 it should be clear there is no going back to these in the midst of pain and suffering. Sarah Ahmed explained this:
"Interestingly one white male academic when asked about 'decolonizing the university' ..was reported to have said something like “this is education not democracy: we get to decide what we teach.” He helpfully reveals to us how the democracy often defended is an illusion: what is being defended as democracy is often despotism."

Here is to the concrete. Andy posted his reflections and there is not a hint of what has been going on for many years. Andy, your style has been stifling to people – your dominant posture, the flair of “knowing the answers” and lecturing others, your insistence on “objectivity” in science (read: canons of white male superiority only accessible to “Great Men”). The latter came through when Jacob MacWilliams responded to you, not just once! With great eloquence and also pain. And left after that, to a great loss to xmca, as did many others, in desperation. Hope someone will do a discourse analysis of epistemic violence on xmca… A claim to objective knowledge is an absolute demand for obedience (Mendez, Coddou, & Maturana). Exactly! And Kristie Dotson will be useful here indeed, thank you, Diane, for bringing this up.

There is more to add on epistemic violence…I will wait for other voices and then probably add, with more specific illustrations.
But important for now, if we hear voices telling us that there is racism and violence in messages they see on xmca, we have to act. Anthony, people are not feeling safe in your presence – this was expressed to you and I heard this from many people in private too – I am making this public now. As someone wrote – this is about “awful e-mail exchanges,” so that she “didn't feel like engaging in such a violent environment.”  What is it that you do not understand about this?

Anna Stetsenko, PhD
Professor
Ph.D. Programs in Psychology/Human Development and in Urban Education
The Graduate Center of The City University of New York
365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016
https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://annastetsenko.ws.gc.cuny.edu/__;!!Mih3wA!RWEZB6r-UEN2RLHCGHarCMUBilLd7pLumJcyGT1w0MLxQIKH-joysnLMdZJI2DbtwcaKVg$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fannastetsenko.ws.gc.cuny.edu*2F__*3B!!Mih3wA!WAbdo5T8clZdbaSRiStryH25GERvxlFFvv7xm2PZaIowRAKm26u2lmlg1OXvKH1Lf6KQHA*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414554963*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=PG8jKNYPlj6JRg9xHKrN6PQtgP60tNKHqRoPwfe5WKA*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2xKWXgV0w$>
visit https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.academia.edu__;!!Mih3wA!RWEZB6r-UEN2RLHCGHarCMUBilLd7pLumJcyGT1w0MLxQIKH-joysnLMdZJI2DbvPVq9Ng$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fwww.academia.edu__*3B!!Mih3wA!WAbdo5T8clZdbaSRiStryH25GERvxlFFvv7xm2PZaIowRAKm26u2lmlg1OXvKH3w9PF7bQ*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414564958*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=6nGV*2B*2FeVe0McLGmgI7FN01SExKgq*2B0HyClRKyGvkK7Q*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2x3hdPYZg$> for my recent publications
________________________________
From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu> <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu>> on behalf of Anthony Barra <anthonymbarra@gmail.com<mailto:anthonymbarra@gmail.com>>
Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:27 AM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: How much fun are we having . . .

Thank you to Helena.  Very interesting.

"Vygotsky - through a Labor Education lens" -- https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/iYndG7cKlj0__;!!Mih3wA!RWEZB6r-UEN2RLHCGHarCMUBilLd7pLumJcyGT1w0MLxQIKH-joysnLMdZJI2DZzEC4Wdg$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__https*3A*2F*2Fyoutu.be*2FiYndG7cKlj0__*3B!!Mih3wA!TEUjOSfiWRp0TM4f0of9IHUPilVY3cdyCB7aTG5A6Jd4TSu70iaaju2lZ974R-I7RgvKPw*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414564958*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=p1zEeL2Lb5pfKDVtNZ*2B6vh8OLKvjuiZupQCsDgtDJAw*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2xC4zHJ5g$>

On Sat, Nov 28, 2020 at 6:05 PM Helena Worthen <helenaworthen@gmail.com<mailto:helenaworthen@gmail.com>> wrote:
Anthony, I am going to try taking you up on your challenge.

How would YOU explain Vygotsky's theory for a general audience -- e.g., parents, teachers, coaches, relatives -- without sacrificing too much accuracy?

I did this, of course, in my book, What Did You Learn at Work Today? The Forbidden Lessons of Labor Education, published by Hardball Press in 2014.  Note the prestigious academic press  — and it only costs $15!!!! But I will boil it down to the 5-minute schpiel that I would give in my classes to union members whose second question, after “How did you learn to do labor education?” would be, “How can I get your job?”

Helena Worthen
helenaworthen@gmail.com<mailto:helenaworthen@gmail.com>
helenaworthen.wordpress.com<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fhelenaworthen.wordpress.com__*3B!!Mih3wA!TAFFMpAC8Z-sarCBZ1096ZKAubJYY6x-H0Ry8_xyxTpxycaDyL87wBMJVZbUD25IOaUS6g*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414574957*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=58MSlFtRx9Qx6MNBSibzFMYB3Iav2MqEnr9D7DLJk1U*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2zrtBxzww$>

check your registration at vote.gov<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fvote.gov__*3B!!Mih3wA!TAFFMpAC8Z-sarCBZ1096ZKAubJYY6x-H0Ry8_xyxTpxycaDyL87wBMJVZbUD26CQqKEAg*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414574957*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=cllxTZBNzAiwT8u2gnok3qlCphvIYIdFYmYIHSK9soI*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2x8C6FUBQ$>

On Nov 28, 2020, at 12:32 PM, Anthony Barra <anthonymbarra@gmail.com<mailto:anthonymbarra@gmail.com>> wrote:

Recently, a small spat has spun into an interesting larger discussion, and mostly productive at that.

The whole spat, however, began with a misunderstanding.  When sharing the "Why generations?" video, Andy was alluding, lightly and positively, to a previous video where he himself was "put on the spot" (ironically enough in a post titled "Let's have some fun!<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fculturalpraxis.net*2Fwordpress1*2F2020*2F11*2F09*2Fan-audience-participation-question-lets-have-some-fun*2F__*3B!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaTroRXAcg*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414584951*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=kFEXVzubA0NrXb8*2FdQuDDpAVxOsnez2j7SDqmP3CGGw*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2zz2ZSWaw$>").  In my family, from childhood onward, 'on the spot' always had a positive, even playful connotation. (Maybe it's an italian-american thing?)

Sadly, the initial offer of fun, three weeks ago, was hardly taken up, save for a brief, interesting response from Huw Lloyd.  But the party shouldn't end, and the open-ended question remains:
How would YOU explain Vygotsky's theory for a general audience -- e.g., parents, teachers, coaches, relatives -- without sacrificing too much accuracy?

Andy gave it a nice go, without advanced warning (i.e., 'on the spot').  I think it's a pretty hard question, and maybe a poorly asked one -- but what if many of us weighed in and gave it a shot?  It'd probably be less hard then, and certainly interesting (and likely beneficial to anyone looking to share Vygotsky's work in various settings beyond academe) ---> "the pool of collective knowledge is big," perhaps even oceanic.

No one wants my advice, but this would be it: assume you have something worth saying and also that it might not come out as well as you'd like AND that people will want to hear it anyway, and even more importantly, that the momentum of having many voices contribute will be worth as much (probably more) than any individual contribution (i.e., literally no pressure).

Give it a shot here, maybe even in video-form if you'd like: "An Audience Participation Question . . . Let's Have Some Fun!"<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fculturalpraxis.net*2Fwordpress1*2F2020*2F11*2F09*2Fan-audience-participation-question-lets-have-some-fun*2F__*3B!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaTroRXAcg*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414594944*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=gCKoocpA80ZWVs6BnBn*2Fum6e0cG7r7YYr2qdwzAOCl8*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2zAZVgEGw$>  <<But please avert your eyes at the 1:47-1:48 mark>> (I kid, I kid!)

There are other good videos over at CulturalPraxis -- and hopefully, the uptick in xmca engagement will spill over to there as well (the more the merrier).

As Natalia Gajdamaschko has suggested, "development comes out of resolving some sort of contradiction..some type of crisis -- a good crisis<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2F*2Fculturalpraxis.net*2Fwordpress1*2F2020*2F10*2F05*2Fvideo-series-join-the-discussion-dr-natalia-gajdamaschko-crisis-in-the-classroom*2F__*3B!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaQl-3J_Og*24&data=04*7C01*7Cdana.walker*40unco.edu*7Cf116e4e8d85b45899aee08d8961722ea*7Cb4dce27cd088445499652b59a23ea171*7C0*7C0*7C637424373414594944*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=ENx2REYQ7*2FI2glPQhfBCQBNbv95UdKQg2wDOcbKl6hs*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!Mih3wA!UF68tGPoirwC1a7GxeQfii_6cV7eWW9dgbOm9Hn5CkAAEVTjmFJGaelVCMs6Q2xlRunncw$>."

Enjoy,

Anthony

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