RE: [xmca] Peter Smagorinsky's great work

Thanks Eric. I should add that I'm not opposed to interventions as a broad
classification, although some I'd surely find problematic. Formal education
itself is an intervention....p

Peter Smagorinsky
The University of Georgia
125 Aderhold Hall
Athens, GA 30602
smago@uga.edu/phone:706-542-4507
http://www.coe.uga.edu/lle/faculty/smagorinsky/index.html

-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On
Behalf Of ERIC.RAMBERG@spps.org
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 8:09 AM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: [xmca] Peter Smagorinsky's great work

Peter Smagorinsky wrote:

So, I study either individuals talking as they work (often as
they write, but also as they design houses, ranches, and home interiors) or
groups talking as they work together (e.g. as they interpret a work of
literature through art, dance, drama, music, etc.). Part of the goal is to
document situated cognition to make the argument that nonverbal composing
potentially has all of the virtues of writing as a medium for both
generating and representing ideas (tool and sign functions), an idea that
has gained traction through the popularity of first, Gardner's theory of
multiple intelligences, and now the New London Group's notion of
multiliteracies. I think that what I've tried to do complements both
efforts, although I'm less convinced that technology has primacy when it
comes to multimodal composing--the cognition required to design a house or
interpret Hamlet through pencil- or marker-rendered drawings is no less
complex than what it'd take to do something on a computer.

Hope this help to clarify, Peter

It clarifies a great deal Peter. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas
pertaining to your research. As I read your studies I will have a better
lens for understanding.

I should explain that my primary purpose for studying CHAT comes from the
cross-cultural studies that were started by Vygotsky and Luria and
culminated in Scribner and Coles Theory on Literacy as a practice based
model. Further, the functional method of double stimulation was the
primary method utilized int hese studies. From what I have gathered this
functional method has always been utililzed as an assessment tool and not
as an intervention. I know many on this listserve find intervention
distasteful but as a special educator that works with students who exhibit
dangerous behaviors intervention is part of my daily life.

As an educator I find your studies extremly valuable because of the
emphasis on the enviroment/culture of the classroom as well as what prior
knowledge (or as you mention Gardner's multiple intelligences) each student
brings to that classroom. Thank you again!

eric

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Received on Mon Mar 3 05:52 PST 2008