ZPD, resistance and conflict
Francoise Herrmann (fherrmann who-is-at igc.apc.org)
Wed, 8 Oct 1997 11:03:28 -0700 (PDT)
Hi all, I am also much interested with Stephanie's formulation of
the ZPD. I haven't read such an interpretation even in Gordon
Wells' paper The ZPD and its implications for learning and
teaching (on the xmca web) which tracks the history of the concept
in considerable detail to show its multiple flavors and more
modern interpretations, including the idea of the ZPD as its own
ZPD (pushing ?pulling its own definition). I like the idea of
seeing it as a space of conflict where internal contradictions are
being worked out. I'd like to bring in a view of resistence from
Wertsch and Penuel that strikes me as relevant here. In cases of
resistance they point out, it is quite unclear who is really doing
the resisting. This sounds and feels right to me in asmuch as its
sounds terribly patronizing to assume that it is always the
"junior" partner who is resistant to whatever the senior partner
may be "dishing out" (of course the official view is one of
interaction and negotiation, but when thereis resistance these
terms appear altogether inappropriate). Having "okra" stuffed down
your throat when one does not like okra is quite unpleasant to
pick up on the feeding metaphor of education. Finally I also like
the question of the possibility of negative development occuring.
Y. Engestrom has written in Development as breaking away and
opening up: A challenge to Vygotsky and Piaget about the
possibility of development as partially destructive rejection of
the old. I was not entirely convinced by his examplification, and
tend to think that "in the end" healthy development draws or
orients us towards the positive, even if on the face of it or in
the short term it may not appear positive.
All for now, please continiue the thread. I am captivated.
Francoise Francoise Herrmann fherrmann who-is-at igc.org
http://www.wenet.net/~herrmann