Your generalization of the applications of prolepsis in Cultural
Psychology are really interesting. I give an example in Chapter 9
(Creating model activity systems) that is taken from Newman et al,
The Construction Zone, but it is not nearly so extensive and self-
consciously applied as a tool of instruction/remediation of the classroom
as your example. I would warmly welcome an article describing your
work for MCA if you can find the time to do it.
About writing extensive comments on student work. My own version
of this has been to have students in my smaller courses (up to 25 or so)
engage in an email discussion modelled on xmca where we discuss the
readings, the topics brought up in class, and topics the students wish
to bring up that may appear tangential to class. At first the students
are hesitant, but without exception, this kind of activity has had the
kind of effect you report from your interventions: the students express
and act on the feeling of a totally new relation of themselves to
the process of education in which their voices ARE heard and ARE
appreciated. The discussions sooner or later break out of the topic
of the class to include personal matters such as the death of a parent,
something seen on TV that moved the writer to communicate, etc.
I think your note is importantly related to the long string of
messages which followed Martin's message, and I have had difficulty
responding to that string owing to local pressures, among other
impediments.
Thanks for expanding my horizons.
mike
ps- Yes, yes to the recursiveness issue. I have not read the book on
Bateson your referred to, but will seek it out.