On Mon, 22 Dec 1997 22:19:09 -0800 (PST) vera p john-steiner said:
>Dear David,
>I appreciate your careful reading of our article and your response.
>Although we rely very heavily on Vygotsky's original texts, most
>of us also have used it as a starting point to develop additional
>notions and concepts. Cooperative learning was not as common in
>Vygotsky's time as it is now. They faced the challenge of teaching
>literacy to millions of people whose parents were unschooled. This created
>a different set of learning
>and teaching challenges than what we face to-day. I think the difference
>between our interpretations of sc theory and that of its critics is that
>we try to put some of these concepts into historical perspective.
>That is not always easy as psychology has traditionally been an
>ahistorical field.
>As my work focuses on creativity and collaboration I had to come
>to terms and overcome the narrow, modeling interpretation of ZPD,
>I see the construction of the new as linked(among other things) to
>complementarity between peers, and the dynamics of co-construction.
>So in my work both horizontal and vertical interactions are critical.
>I attempt to deal with these issues in a chapter as part of a volume that
>Peter Smagorinsky is editing. (If you are interested I will send it to
>you once I have finished editing it.)
>RH joins me in wishing you a good and interesting 1988,
>Vera
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Vera P. John-Steiner
>Department of Linguistics
>Humanities Bldg. 526
>University of New Mexico
>Albuquerque, NM 87131
>(505) 277-6353 or 277-4324
>Internet: vygotsky who-is-at unm.edu
>---------------------------------
>
>