It will be great to see a 23rd-century perspective on these matters! :-)
On Tue, 17 Oct 2006, J Mark Jackson wrote:
> Jenny,
>
> If you have not already, I would strongly suggest a reading of :
>
> Learning in Classrooms: A Cultural-Historical Approach, (2201) Edited by
> Mariane Hegegaard
>
> http://www.iscar.org/book5.html
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <jmgdo@berkeley.edu>
> To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 12:42 PM
> Subject: Re: [xmca] review article recommendation request
>
>
>> 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
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
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>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>
>>
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>
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
Tony Whitson
UD School of Education
NEWARK DE 19716
twhitson@udel.edu
_______________________________
"those who fail to reread
are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
-- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
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