I want to add a small comment to the interesting discussion on
reflective/tacit action. I think that each action has two aspects
explicit-reflective and implicit way of doing things. Bakhtin discussed
that in details. He pointed out that implicit aspect of one's action is
never directly available to the actor but only through eyes of others ("the
excess of seeing"). I can't see myself working on this message until my
colleague pops up in my office exclaiming, "Oh, you are busy! I don't want
to interrupt you." I didn't know that I was busy or even that I was looked
busy. I still don 't know how I positioned myself while working on this
message. It wasn't my focus and can never be. As Bakhtin pointed out,
action and mediational tools it involves come out from the different world
than capturing and describing ways of somebody else's actions. He talked,
for example, how differently the actor and observer of the actor perceive
the space, time, and meaning of action. Where the actor sees an environment
for action, the other sees a background of acting. Bakhtin summarized that
knowledge about what we do implicitly is a gift of others. I think this has
interesting implications for notions of critical thinking and critical
pedagogy. What do you think?
Eugene
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Eugene Matusov
Willard Hall#206G
Department of Educational Studies
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
Office: 302-831-1266
Fax: 302-831-4445
email: ematusov who-is-at udel.edu
website: http://www.ematusov.com
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