On a first read, Kevin's article has been a revelation for me on the
role of the spatial dimension in activity.
He naturally mentions Bakhtin. By chance, I've just been reading the
first chapter of Bakhtin's book on Dostoevsky. Bakhtin talks about
how Dostoevsky is primarily interested in the spatial dimension
and hence in the interaction of different characters or voices
in the present. He ignores the temporal dimension -- his characters have
"no past." He is not at all interested in his characters' formation
(stanovlenie) or development.
Other writers such as Goethe (says Bakhtin) are primarily interested
in the temporal dimension.
Reading this makes me wonder if it makes sense to divide up CHAT
theorists into those oriented towards time and those interested in space.
For example, Davydov could be regarded as time-oriented, since he
is intensely concerned with development within a specific spatial
context (school), and emphasizes the discontinuity between school
and other contexts.
I wonder then where one would place Yrjo... Learning by Expanding
seems concerned both with a theory of developmental learning
in the Davydov sense and also of course with expanding across
spatial boundaries.
Peter
-- Peter Moxhay Teacher Mentor Portland Public Schools 331 Veranda Street Portland, Maine 04103
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