[Xmca-l] Re: How much fun are we having . . .

[Helena Worthen]

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
helenaworthen.wordpress.com

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> On Nov 28, 2020, at 12:32 PM, Anthony Barra <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/__http://culturalpraxis.net/wordpress1/2020/11/09/an-audience-participation-question-lets-have-some-fun/__;!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaTroRXAcg$>").  In my family, from childhood onward, 'on the spot' always had a positive, even playful connotation. (Maybe it's an italian-american thing?)
> 
> Sadly, the initial offer of fun, three weeks ago, was hardly taken up, save for a brief, interesting response from Huw Lloyd.  But the party shouldn't end, and the open-ended question remains:
> How would YOU explain Vygotsky's theory for a general audience -- e.g., parents, teachers, coaches, relatives -- without sacrificing too much accuracy?
> 
> Andy gave it a nice go, without advanced warning (i.e., 'on the spot').  I think it's a pretty hard question, and maybe a poorly asked one -- but what if many of us weighed in and gave it a shot?  It'd probably be less hard then, and certainly interesting (and likely beneficial to anyone looking to share Vygotsky's work in various settings beyond academe) ---> "the pool of collective knowledge is big," perhaps even oceanic.
> 
> No one wants my advice, but this would be it: assume you have something worth saying and also that it might not come out as well as you'd like AND that people will want to hear it anyway, and even more importantly, that the momentum of having many voices contribute will be worth as much (probably more) than any individual contribution (i.e., literally no pressure). 
> 
> Give it a shot here, maybe even in video-form if you'd like: "An Audience Participation Question . . . Let's Have Some Fun!" <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://culturalpraxis.net/wordpress1/2020/11/09/an-audience-participation-question-lets-have-some-fun/__;!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaTroRXAcg$>  <<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/__http://culturalpraxis.net/wordpress1/2020/10/05/video-series-join-the-discussion-dr-natalia-gajdamaschko-crisis-in-the-classroom/__;!!Mih3wA!T43ZvPV-bP_hJ_7jwudj1LjgsrqO8umkMgxxV9l0-NRN9Ldn3GSgisSsJJXWQaQl-3J_Og$>."  
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Anthony 
> 
> 
> 

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