I viewed Professor Engestrom's video yesterday on the expansive cycles
in Learning 3 and wondered if someone could help clarify a point for me.
I am researching the role of the teacher in supporting students'
conceptual development. The students are junior high school history
students. Before watching the video I thought the expansive cycle was a
natural stage in development and students could, through dialogue with
the teacher and other students, co-construct knowledge about the nature
of history and historical methodology - ie begin to think like an
historian. Now it seems this expansive cycle needs some kind of conflict
or disharmony for participants to reflect and "look outside the box". If
this is the case then in the classroom situation I have described,
students do not engage in this expansive cycle.
I would really appreciate some clarification on this point.
My second question is the use of multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary
and crossdisciplinary. If, as a teacher researcher I am drawing on
linguistic theory (SFL) education theory, sociology and cognitive
psychology to consider learning in the classroom within a social context
is my work multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and crossdisciplinary?
I am not sure of the fine points related to these terms.
Again any comments would be appreciated.
Tina Sharpe
PhD student
University of Technology
Sydney, Australia.
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