Hi everyone!
Thanks for the recommended readings. I have been reading up on the CHAT
core – Vygotsky, Engestrom, Wertsch, etc. in an effort to think about
these theoretical issues. Specifically, I have been trying to
conceptualize these social processes that I mentioned – social
positioning, identity, power, status – as “social tools” that mediate our
mental life much like the physical and symbolic tools and signs that are
more often discussed, like language, the computer, interactions with one
another, external representations (number lines, area models, etc). My
concern (and reason for the original posting) is to not misrepresent or
overgeneralize what “counts” as a mediational symbol. Theoretically, its
clearer to me how words or number lines or particular ways of structuring
an activity mediates students’ thinking, but it is less clear how to
conceptualize how being constantly positioned as “expert” in the
classroom, or “the kid with the cooties”, or “the expert with cooties”
also mediates students’ thinking. My hunch (and my emerging research
interests) moves toward the idea that social positioning, identity, and
status in the classroom are also mediating devices and important ones to
consider.
But again, I position myself as extreme amateur and wonder how others
think of these issues. I will perhaps ask more directly – what counts as a
social tool?
thanks for the responses!!!
Jenny
P.S. You guys at XMCA aren't all that scary :) Ok, maybe a little.
> Amateur #7 stepping onto the floor - Valerie, the conference you are
> arranging sounds very, very interesting. Jenny, I think many of the
> amateurs as well as the non-amateurs would have an issue with the
> clause complexes you wrote below, but nevertheless....:
>
> Jenny wrote:
> I'm thinking not so much about the fact that we interact with one
> another to get tasks accomplished/problems solved or that we use
> culturally/socially constructed tools to mediate our thinking such as
> what is typically found in distributed cognition or situated
> cognition, but about more social/interpersonal aspects such social
> positioning, identity, status, power, roles, etc on cognitive
> processes such as problem solving or accomplishing goals.
> Specifically, a review article on what research has been done in
> terms of how our social place in the world affects our reasoning/
> problem solving/higher-order cognitive processes.
>
> In unpacking the above, perhaps revealed is an interest in the more
> conventional social class issues - ??? Also the hidden power
> relations in the un-problematised interactions between experts and
> novices?? And the work of Basil Bernstein lies dormant for those of
> us interested in the political issues you raise. That might help vis-
> a-vis "cognition versus engagement".
>
> What do you think?
>
> Regards,
>
> Phil
>
> On 17/10/2006, at 4:54 PM, Valerie Farnsworth wrote:
>
>> Hi Jenny,
>> I'd count myself as an amateur - having only recently finished the
>> PhD and being a new member of xmca (so not corrupted yet by myths).
>>
>> My sense is that the question you raise is at the heart of a lot of
>> work people in socio-cultural and Activity Theory are doing -- it's
>> the up-and-coming, hot topic. So, I'd say there is a lot to still
>> work out in this research area -- theoretically and empirically --
>> and engagement is a good place to start, since you can't separate
>> that from cognition (can you?).
>>
>> My humble suggestion would be to check out the papers/authors who
>> presented at the 2005 ISCAR conference, which went by the theme
>> 'Acting in changing worlds: learning, communication and minds in
>> intercultural activities':
>>
>> http://alojamientos.us.es/glabahum/ISCAR2005/
>>
>> Also, in my new position (there is hope after graduation!) at the
>> University of Manchester, I am at the beginning stages of
>> organizing a conference for next September, which will have the
>> theme: Theory, Identity and Learning. The folks I work with here
>> organized a conference in 2005 as well and some of those papers are
>> still online:
>>
>> http://www.lta.education.manchester.ac.uk/sctig/overview.htm
>>
>> Best wishes,
>> Valerie Farnsworth
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-
>> bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Mike Cole
>> Sent: 17 October 2006 03:54
>> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
>> Subject: Re: [xmca] review article recommendation request
>>
>> Hah! It is Jenny to whom I need to write (since all the experts
>> around here
>> are busy, amateurs step in).
>> So that highlights the importance of Sapir's idea which appear to
>> apply
>> especially to the internet: systems leak.
>> bless em
>> mike
>>
>> On 10/16/06, Mike Cole <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey Indigo!
>>>
>>> What a gift your message has been. It has debunked a myth and
>>> brought a
>>> lurker
>>> back onto the screen!!
>>>
>>> Myth 1: Status matters in who gets to post. BS. It never ceases to
>>> amaze
>>> me how often people inscribe their
>>> hated and misbegotten feelings of second class hood (for reasons
>>> of levels
>>> of education, number of years working in the
>>> field, language expertise in English, sexual orientation, option
>>> of the
>>> quality of Dewey;s writings-- you name IT!! Its 99.9 %
>>> self abasement. Bless you for seeking information. Had I known
>>> that the 25
>>> people on xmca very well qualified to help you
>>> out would not respond, and had I not abhored my own overextended
>>> voice in
>>> this medium, I would have responded, and will
>>> to you sans xmca.
>>>
>>> As to the lurker? (quiet, I will not name him)
>>>
>>> direct response to my provisinal quick answer to your email.
>>> Dispense with
>>> it as you like.
>>> mike
>>>
>>> On 10/16/06, Diane Hodges <info@bramblehouse.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Well Indigo, looks like you're a grown up now too, doesn't it. I
>>>> will
>>>> now be
>>>> in awe of _you_.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Diane
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Diane Hodges
>>>> Maison Bramble House
>>>> 19 Valois Bay Avenue
>>>> Pointe Claire, QC H9R 3Z2
>>>> Tel: 514.630.6363
>>>> Fax: 514.344.2994
>>>> www.bramblehouse.net
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-
>>>> bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
>>>> On
>>>> Behalf Of Indigo Esmonde
>>>> Sent: Monday, October 16, 2006 6:14 PM
>>>> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
>>>> Subject: Re: [xmca] review article recommendation request
>>>>
>>>> well, aren't you the grown-up sending email to the xmca list!!! i'm
>>>> in awe of you!
>>>> indigo
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Oct 16, 2006, at 10:08 AM, jmgdo@berkeley.edu wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hello XMCA,
>>>>>
>>>>> Might someone recommend a good review article of social
>>>>> processes in
>>>>> cognitive science? If not a review article, then any pointers
>>>>> on whose work
>>>>> is in
>>>>> this general area is just as helpful. I've been reading related
>>>>> work
>>>>> (mainly how these social positional factors affect engagement,
>>>>> but not
>>>>> cognition per se), but want to make sure I'm not missing some
>>>>> group of
>>>>> scholars that I don't yet know about.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks!
>>>>> Jenny Langer-Osuna
>>>>> doctoral candidate, UC Berkeley
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> xmca mailing list
>>>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>>>
>>>> Indigo Esmonde
>>>> Postdoctoral Fellow
>>>> Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center
>>>> Wallenberg Hall
>>>> Stanford, CA 94305-2055
>>>> esmonde@stanford.edu
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> xmca mailing list
>>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>>>> Version: 7.1.408 / Virus Database: 268.13.4/476 - Release Date:
>>>> 10/14/2006
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> xmca mailing list
>>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> xmca mailing list
>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> xmca mailing list
>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
_______________________________________________
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 01 2006 - 01:00:14 PST