Phil
it is ok, my name is maria judith.
you got the full name at the msg.
maria
----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Chappell" <phil_chappell@access.inet.co.th>
To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 9:56 AM
Subject: Re: Cultural biases in understanding Vygotsky
> Sorry, Maria, where in the heck did I get "Judith" from?
>
> Phil
> On Dec 19, 2003, at 6:44 PM, Phil Chappell wrote:
>
> > Judith,
> > I'd love to write more on the book, but it really only appeared
> > yesterday! As others read it, I hope that there might be some more
> > discussions of what a predominantly Russian group of scholars have to
> > say about Vygotsky's work in relation to educational theory. Someone,
> > I guess, should review it for MCA!
> >
> > Phil
> > On Dec 18, 2003, at 7:52 PM, maria judith wrote:
> >
> >> Phil
> >> this is very interesting.
> >> it would be fine if you could write more about this book.
> >> this will help my work with my students at the university, and I
> >> think also
> >> many other professors.
> >> thank you
> >> maria
> >>
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Phil Chappell" <phil_chappell@access.inet.co.th>
> >> To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> >> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2003 10:03 AM
> >> Subject: Cultural biases in understanding Vygotsky
> >>
> >>
> >>> I just received a copy of "Vygotsky's Educational Theory in Cultural
> >>> Context" (Ed's Kozulin, Gindis, Ageyev and Miller) Cambridge 2003,
> >>> and
> >>> while flicking through the volume, I was drawn to the final chapter
> >>> by
> >>> Vladimir Ageyev, entitled, "Vygotsky in the Mirror of Cultural
> >>> Interpretations". Ageyev has taught courses on LSV's work both in
> >>> Russia and the US, and his aim in the chapter is to outline some of
> >>> the
> >>> cultural biases that he has noticed in the US context of students'
> >>> understandings of Vygotsky's ideas. Ageyev begins by claiming that
> >>> LSV's ideas underwent a strong Americanisation through filtering out
> >>> most "poetic, philosophical and historical images", especially from
> >>> the
> >>> first edition of "Thought and Language" (1962)....I do recall this
> >>> was
> >>> a point of discussion during the xmca on-line course earlier this
> >>> year.
> >>>
> >>> Several students I have worked with recently, in the context of
> >>> learning theory for developing abilities in using another language,
> >>> have posed questions such as "How do we know when a learner is in the
> >>> zpd?", How can we measure progress through the zpd?" and "When
> >>> learners
> >>> are interacting, whose zpd is it?". Similar questions from US
> >>> students
> >>> are outlined by Ageyev. I have always had difficulties myself in
> >>> answering these questions, and have replied with vacuous statements
> >>> such as, "Think of the zpd metaphorically", etc. Ageyev provides some
> >>> good fodder to think over, notably for me...
> >>>
> >>> 1. Doing some critical self-reflection on how I myself interpret
> >>> LSV's
> >>> work, as he claims that 100 years of positivism and behavioursim
> >>> can't
> >>> be shrugged off too readily, especially considering my own
> >>> socio-historical background as a privileged middle class, white male
> >>> from Australia (although Ageyev is referring to US contexts)
> >>> 2. Revisiting the relationship between LSV's work and Marxism. LSV's
> >>> work is usually held by new students in a positive light, and Marx is
> >>> usually associated with "negatives", such as communism. Some of the
> >>> more powerful metaphors that Marx created and which were appropriated
> >>> by LSV (e.g. tools) could do with a critical historical overview.
> >>> 3. Gain a better understanding of the context within which LSV was
> >>> working, and which was shaping his ideas and "experiments". As Ageyev
> >>> notes, we need to move beyond good linguistic translations of LSV's
> >>> works (he seems to assume that we have these available - I can't
> >>> make a
> >>> comment there) to better cultural interpretations of his ideas. This
> >>> final point rings loudly to me, as the zpd becomes a popularised
> >>> metaphor for successful transmission or acquisition of knowledge and
> >>> skills. I can't help thinking of homogenised fat-free milk!!!
> >>>
> >>> Just some thoughts on a chapter that I skimmed.
> >>>
> >>> Phil
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
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