Linda Polin <lpolin who-is-at pepperdine.edu> on 04/02/99 03:37:15 PM
Please respond to xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu
To: xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu
cc: (bcc: David H Kirshner/dkirsh/LSU)
Subject: activity theory and situated learning
I'd love some help hashing out the differences between activity theory and
the Lave & Wenger, 1991 and Wenger, 1998 concept of situated learning. The
following note from Wenger's new tome gives us his perspective on the
differences. I'm wondering about the view from the other side.
"I would argue that our actions do not achieve their meanings in and of
themselves, but rather in the context of a broader process of neogtiation.
By starting with practice as a context for the negotiation of meaning, I do
not assume that activities carry their own meanings. Thi si sone reason
that I will not take discrete activities, or even systems of activities, as
a fundamental unit of analysis. In this regard, theories based on practice
have a different ontological foundation than activity theory (Leont'ev,
'81; Wertsch, '85)."
Thanks,
Linda P.