A Vygotsky Podcast: Recent Episodes

Anthony Barra

Let's try to better understand Vygotsky's ideas. These are audio versions of my YouTube videos found here: http://tiny.cc/2eylsz

I'm no expert, so take my remarks with salt. Fortunately, most episodes in this podcast DO feature conversations with experts and deep researchers.

Season 1 - Chats about CHT; Season 2 - 5 Principles for Vygotskian Research; Season 3 - Answered Questions Season 4 - Snippets (from Chats about CHT); Season 5 - Notes on certain concepts; Season 6 - More short clips (from http://tiny.cc/vr3ns) Season 0 - Chats with friends (w/ emphasis on learning & development)

Helpful article, worth reading in full. For now, here are four excerpts from “Cultural-Historical Theory and the Dialectics of Lower and Higher Psychological Functions" by Nikolai Veresov (2021)(If I sound a little off, well a. i. have a little . . . cold ; )

with Francine Smolucha, Vygotskian translator, researcher, & teacher (Initially posted Nov 17, 2022)

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/6g65vz

A few more considerations and ideas for reading fictional literature and "fictional reality”: texts as intentional acts; texts as a 'turn' in an ongoing cultural conversation; and threshold concepts.

This excerpt is from "Thinking and Feeling Our Way Through Fake News" with Michael W. Smith http://tiny.cc/m1v1vz

A few more tools for reading fictional literature and "fictional reality”: Impression management, narrator reliability, and a transferable question set that can be carried wherever one goes. This excerpt is from "Thinking and Feeling Our Way Through Fake News" with Michael W. Smith http://tiny.cc/m1v1vz

Readers of literature tend to have rich imaginations which can sometimes be a barrier to parsing information in the world. On the other hand, literary skills can be great armor in the battle against information pollution. Here are a few tools.

This excerpt is from "Thinking and Feeling Our Way Through Fake News" with Michael W. Smith http://tiny.cc/m1v1vz

Francine Smolucha has been translating, teaching, and researching Vygotsky since the 1980s. Along with an interesting personal history, we get a great look at creativity’s line of development from infancy through fully-realized adulthood.

Highlights include:

0:48 - Francine’s interesting backstory

5:00 - Can people consciously direct their imaginative thinking?

10:38 - Visual isomorphism is useful - and fun!

18:00 - Why do creativity exercises?

24:06 - Artists and intuition

27:50 - Do children have innate creative imaginations?

36:48 - Vygotsky on the role of play in development (pretend play and object substitution)

42:48 - How (and when) do higher mental functions and psychological systems interact?

46:50 - Vygotsky and neuroscience

51:20 - What comes first: brain or concept (or function) development?

56:34 - What does “word meaning develops” mean?

1:05:38 - Development of concepts vs. that of word meaning

1:09:56 - Vygotsky’s idea of a fully developed adult

1:17:00 - Pros and cons of scientific concepts (and “restrictive frames”)

1:22:45 - Frame flexibility and being different

1:24:35 - Francine’s role in the Vygotskysphere

1:29:05 - Vygotsky as film character and as role model

1:32:50 - The role of conflict resolution and perseverance in Francine’s own development

1:45:03 - Ideas for everybody

1:52:15 - Some ideas for maintaining creative development through adolescence

1:59:26 - Honoring everyday creativity : )

Links & References:

"Vygotsky’s theory in-play: early childhood education" - http://tiny.cc/m321vz

"Why Man Creates" - http://tiny.cc/n321vz

"An interesting assignment" - http://tiny.cc/p321vz

This discussion is about developing better filters for processing information in a messy world. Literacy and teaching expert Michael W. Smith helps us strengthen our mindset and skillset for navigating fake news. We also discuss great teaching concepts that work well in the classroom and the public sphere. For busy teachers, Smith offers efficient ways of using one's existing practice to help students identify and interrogate information pollution.

Highlights include:

0:46 - A quick review of key concepts and ideas from our first chat (http://tiny.cc/u3r0vz)

1:52 - An overview of Michael's new book, "Fighting Fake News"

3:02 - How can busy teachers incorporate 'fake news defense' into their existing instruction?

5:24 - The importance of 'reading ourselves' and owning our own role in the pollution process

6:24 - As a concept and as reality, what is fake news?

8:55 - Literacy-wise, can skills and strategies transfer from 'fictional' to 'fake' texts?

10:13 - The crucial role of TRANSFER in learning (and in Michael's career path)

14:25 - Making opaque 'insider strategies' more explicit (and helping student do the same)

18:22 - Working backwards from enjoyable, engaging activity to formal articulation

22:10 - Applying characterization, unreliable narrator, and "rules of notice" strategies to fake news

27:00 - How is the maker(s) of this text moving my attention around, and how do I feel about that?

32:52 - Applying the 'persuasion filter' without excessive cynicism

34:34 - Reading laterally (recognizing texts as part of an ongoing cultural conversation)

36:29 - Is knowing thyself a threshold concept in the realm of fake news?

37:58 - In the world, evidence is disputed -- so "what would create a safe starting point?"

41:30 - Is reliable sensemaking possible for individuals? Mindset + skillset helps - or can help.

47:38 - Creating contexts that lend themselves to lateral reading and social trust

52:22 - Speed round: Transfer

54:22 - Speed round: Texts are intentional acts

55:39 - Speed round: Texts as a turn in an ongoing cultural conversation

56:44 - Speed round: Threshold concepts

References & Resources:

"Fighting Fake News: Teaching Students to Identify & Interrogate Information Pollution" - https://bit.ly/3tfsUQO

Michael's books - https://amzn.to/3tcj6qz and https://bit.ly/3NRI48h

"How to Mislead with Facts" - https://bit.ly/3huUWoY

"Algorithmic Media for Good" - https://bit.ly/3EgFoOv

Twitter Birdwatch - https://tcrn.ch/3UI1bUH

David Kellogg discusses key challenges to talking about Vygotsky in public-friendly ways (main reason: it's hard, for teachers and learners). Storytelling, he says, can create helpful meeting points between concrete and abstract ideas, provided the stories aren't too misleading. After discussing various difficulties, David offers two stories as a means of explaining Vygotsky's main project. Highlights include:

0:42 - some points of embarrassment

2:34 - barriers to making Vygotsky accessible to non-experts

5:00 - learning & teaching (via Walter Benjamin)

7:48 - esoteric and exoteric knowledge, differences and links

13:03 - more barriers to linking the esoteric and exoteric (maybe)

18:03 - the main reason: teaching is hard (and so is learning)

20:00 - stories as meeting-point between the concrete and abstract (including misleading ones)

25:00 - family stuff: a talented and smart bunch

27:49 - a better way to tell stories (i.e., metaphors) about our brains & development

29:47 - the spinal cord story (Master story 1, with its four levels)

35:36 - the human development/Vygotsky story (Master story 2, with its four stages)

44:00 - Vygotsky said THAT these two kinds of stories are distinct yet LINKED (a mega story, a meta story, a story of stories)

45:35 - Halladay helps to show HOW the two big stories are linked: expansion and projection

50:10 - an illustration, at the language level (using transitions - elaboration, extension, and enhancement)

1:00:29 - neoformations and disrupted lines of development (a follow-up)

1:07:34 - helpful perspectives for parents

1:13:38 - other lines of development

1:17:07 - development crises vs. mental illness (i.e., a crisis that doesn't culminate)

References:

ResearchGate: David Kellogg - http://tiny.cc/dog0vz

"How to Grow My Brain" (Khan Academy) - http://tiny.cc/48b0vz

"Angelus Novus" (Klee) - https://magazine.artland.com/stories-of-iconic-artworks-paul-klees-angelus-novus/

John Barra is an award-winning producer who's been making TV for 30+ years. He's always fun to talk to, and highlights include:

0:32 - Some interviewing pros and cons

1:52 - A (work) day in the life

6:08 - What is a Contestant Producer?

13:10 - Was John always like this?

16:20 - John's solid (PBS) foundation & some bumps along the path

20:36 - Passionate Jeopardy fans and staff talent

26:56 - The great Alex Trebek

30:46 - An interesting friend

36:01 - Hollywood events and that show we like (Severance)

42:37 - There will always be pricks (and their opposite)

49:00 - What would John's passion project be?

53:05 - Parenting thoughts & tips

56:11 - Mottos, catchphrases, and aging

1:01:54 - Making it in LA and changing lives

1:05:43 - The lasting influence of John's mentor

1:07:48 - The benefits of talented colleagues

1:11:35 - Being in front of the camera (fundraising & "phood")

1:15:44 - Some interviewer & interviewee tips

1:19:14 - Was this enjoyable?

1:22:48 - How might John be remembered?

1:25:48 - LA vs NY

1:28:43 - The importance and appeal of mentoring

1:32:54 - Any regrets?

This message welcomes you and explains the large quantity of older episodes that I've re-posted at the top of this podcast. Vygotsky was a fascinating individual, and if you poke around a bit, I think you'll find some of the info interesting and useful.

(Initially posted December 2, 2020) Nikolai Veresov helps to distinguish cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and cultural-historical theory (CHT).

Highlights include:

0:35 - What is CHAT? (Ant's confession)

1:58 - Nikolai's preference for clarification over comparison

3:39 - Veresov (2020): Two theories with many strengths

5:51 - Nikolai's appreciation and respect for CHAT

7:27 - Nikolai's concerns about CHAT

8:36 - Historical background of CHT, Activity Theory, and CHAT

15:24 - Why is this important?

19:17 - Is Nikolai alone here?

23:18 - Three coexisting theories

25:55 - Specific features of CHT and of CHAT

32:20 - Is CHAT more about systems while CHT is about individuals?

34:45 - Personality, transformation, and metamorphosis (CHAT and CHT)

38:31 - Is there a metamorphosis dynamic in CHAT?

40:44 - The concept of contradiction in CHT and in CHAT

43:41 - An example of dialectical unity (life and birth and death)

48:52 - Vygotskian application of dialectical unity (not subject-object but individual-social)

54:12 - Example: development of HPF or cultural forms of behavior?

59:36 - Mediation in CHAT and in CHT

1:04:11 - Can tools ever have more agency than individuals?

1:09:50 - Should perezhivanie make an appearance in CHAT?

1:16:49 - Is CHAT concerned with cultural or social development?

1:19:28 - Where is Vygotsky in CHAT?

1:21:32 - Can developmental CHT principles map onto CHAT-esque domains?

1:25:13 - Nikolai's objection Veresov (2020)

"Identity as a sociocultural phenomenon: the dialectics of belonging, being and becoming" is here: http://tiny.cc/pty5tz

(Initially posted November 1, 2020) Important questions. Interesting answers. Excerpts from Andy Blunden, Huw Lloyd, Peter Smagorinsky, David Kellogg, and Nikolai Veresov provide a great start to a rich conversation...

Sources for all clips are available here: http://tiny.cc/led1tz

(Originally posted Dec 22, 2021) Holbrook Mahn illustrates some question prompts and the thinking behind them.

These ideas come from his "Academic Literacy for All (ALA) Protocol."

The full chat is here: http://tiny.cc/q5umuz

(Initially posted April 21, 2021) Nikolai Veresov discusses the under-reported "most important difference" between Piaget and Vygotsky, who had much in common, including a general approach to solving the "crisis in psychology."

Excerpted from a private conversation (and used with permission).

(Originally posted Aug 12, 2020) This brief clip raises a number of questions, including:

where are 'the buds'? - what are the qualitative reorganizations here? why are the buds (e.g., of volition) not yet present for the 3 year-olds, present for the 5 year-olds, and already flowered for the 8 year-olds? (ages are approximate, I know) how temporary is the 5 year-olds' improved volition? does it wear off? is it now 'activated' for good? - for the 8 year-olds, is volition developed for tasks such as standing still but still in 'bud' stage for more demanding acts of will?

Original source: "Mike Cole on ZOPED" http://tiny.cc/jtivpz

More here: "Vygotsky and Context: Toward a Resolution of Theoretical Disputes" http://tiny.cc/yv6upz

(This short excerpt was published on May 28, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

(Originally posted Sept 25, 2021) Nikolai Veresov, with contributions from David Kellogg, demonstrates how Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory is built as a system of concepts. To best understand (and use) one concept, it's important to understand its place and role in the theory, along with its relationships to other concepts and important ideas.

1:33 - ZPD 2:27 - ZPD + motivation

3:55 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion

5:16 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person

6:22 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie

10:13 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development

11:38 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + General Genetic Law

12:26 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts

13:02 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions

16:26 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions + signs & tools

18:41 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions + signs & tools + metacognition

23:55 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions + signs & tools + metacognition + refraction

26:59 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions + signs & tools + metacognition + refraction + social situation of development

28:19 - Cultural-historical theory as a system of concepts

Original source: http://tiny.cc/dvjjuz "Asia-Pacific Sociocultural, Cultural-historical & Activity Theory Summer School, January 2021"

(Initially posted May 27, 2021) While there are many pathways into Vygotsky's work, this approach, so far, has been the most sensible for a slow learner like me -- even if it's misguided and even if I'm still years away from synthesizing a lasting and holistic understanding.

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/16xxtz

Highly relatable: "People develop concepts in what Vygotsky calls a 'twisting path' that does not proceed in a neat, linear fashion. Rather, one's route toward the development of a concept becomes detoured, rerouted, and otherwise thrown off course as new examples are considered for inclusion within the concept, and as one generates sufficiently extensive related knowledge to make consistent judgments." Smagorinsky (2012) Vygotsky and Literacy Research: A Methodological Framework

(Originally posted April 21, 2021) Nikolai Veresov explains how Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory was built as a system of concepts. Veresov then demonstrates how a CHT concept can be analyzed and applied as a theoretical tool.

0:03 - Analysis vs. Interpretation (and why the difference matters)

1:14 - Two questions for understanding the content of CHT concepts

2:19 - The importance of these two questions

3:21 - EXAMPLE: the interaction between ideal and present forms (Question 1)

5:17 - EXAMPLE: the interaction between ideal and present forms (Question 2)

*Excerpted from a private conversation (used with permission). Initially published April 21, 2021.

(Initially posted December 3, 2020) Nikolai Veresov discusses specific features of cultural-historical theory (CHT), cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), and also activity theory (AT).

Full video: http://tiny.cc/s316tz

(First posted May 21, 2021) David Kellogg notes the benefits and limitations of conceptualizing neoformations as thread and as pattern.

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/16xxtz

(Originally posted October 12, 2020) Nikolai Veresov looks to the concept of perezhivanie to answer the question.

The full lecture, "Demystifying Perezhivanie: understanding development in the cultural-historical framework," is here: http://tiny.cc/87ezsz

(Initially posted March 27, 2021) Reading Vygotsky is challenging, yet the challenge is part of the fun. These excerpts are a good doorway into Vygotsky's writing -- and if you like them, consider checking out any or all of the following:

https://bit.ly/3stZ2hJ - "Thinking and Speech, Chapter 6 - The Development of Scientific Concepts in Childhood"

https://bit.ly/2NZe8MZ - "Reading Thinking and Speech" video lectures from Nikolai Veresov

https://bit.ly/3ds693Z - Some notes on the Veresov lectures

https://bit.ly/31sXGrz - "Distinguishing Spontaneous, Scientific, and Pseudo- Concepts"

https://bit.ly/3dbZcno - Peter Smagorinsky on "Sturdy Concepts"

*excerpts are from Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). Thinking and Speech. In R. W. Rieber, & A. S. Carton (Eds.), The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky (Vol. 1), Problems of General Psychology (pp. 39-285). New York: Plenum Press. (Original Work Published 1934)

(Originally posted August 21, 2020) Three excerpts from Nikolai Veresov's "Discovering the Great Royal Seal: New Reality of Vygotsky’s Legacy"

0:16 - "The subject-matter of cultural-historical theory"

8:22 - "New realities and new opportunities"

11:32 - "Final remarks"

Full article: http://tiny.cc/4mnosz

(Originally posted August 20, 2020) An excerpt from one of my favorite books, James Wertsch's (1985) "Vygotsky and the Social Formation of Mind"

(Originally posted August 20, 2020) An excerpt from Seth Chaiklin's (2003) "The zone of proximal development in Vygotsky’s analysis of learning and instruction" -- from the section, "Vygotsky's Theory of Child Development"

Full text: http://tiny.cc/aenosz

(Originally posted Nov 20, 2021) Nikolai Veresov highlights one of the hardest challenges of teaching. Excerpted from http://tiny.cc/da2muz

(Initially posted December 17, 2020) Huw Lloyd helps me to rethink a lesson that I like but also know is flawed. The suggestions are adaptable to many types of lesson revision.

The lesson, influenced by Vygotsky's idea that "word meaning develops," is summarized here: http://tiny.cc/z7v6tz

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/r5v6tz

Main reference: "The primary result of this work . . .that constitutes the conceptual center of our investigation (is) the finding that word meaning develops. The discovery that word meaning changes and develops is our new and fundamental contribution to the theory of thinking and speech. It is our major discovery, a discovery that has allowed us to overcome the postulate of constancy and unchangableness of word meaning which has provided the foundation for previous theories of thinking and speech." (Vygotsky, 1987, p. 245) The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 1. Problems of general psychology, Including the volume Thinking and Speech. New York: Plenum. Vygotsky, L. S.

Related: "Where do new words come from?" - Marcel Danesi (TED-ED) - http://tiny.cc/flx6tz

(Initially posted December 17, 2020) Huw Lloyd discusses some cognitive benefits of synthesizing different perspectives, invoking an interesting metaphor from Michael Cole.

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/r5v6tz

(Originally posted September 10, 2020) David Kellogg cites language as the interface between individual and environment, and the development of word meaning as the prime builder of memory.

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/j60usz

(Originally posted Apr 25, 2020) These three clips have captured my attention.

Clip 1 - Vygotsky's "Law of 4 Stages"

Clip 2 - How this law can help teachers and students

Clip 3 - A memory game (biological vs. cultural memory)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/byn7rz

(Originally posted Jan 30, 2020) Interesting clip from a 2010 Natalia Gajdamaschko talk

". . . development comes out of resolving some sort of contradiction . . . some type of crisis . . . a good crisis"

Full video: http://tiny.cc/5fjejz "Part 5 - Natalia Gajdamaschko on Vygotsky"

(Originally posted September 14, 2020) Nikolai Veresov argues that Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) was created as a research tool, specifically as a means of helping researchers "find the buds" of development, i.e., to determine which psychological functions are in their earliest stage of development.

The ZPD, therefore, is the conceptual tool that aligns with research principle #1: 'the principle of buds of development' (more here: http://tiny.cc/gvxusz)

Excerpted from "Cultural-historical genetic research methodology-Part 1 by Nikolai Veresov" http://tiny.cc/9g2usz

(Originally posted September 1, 2020) Excerpts from George Hillocks, Jr.'s (1995) book, Teaching Writing as Reflective Practice

0:23 - Three Modes of Teaching: Environmental, Presentational, and Natural Process

2:40 - Features of Environments for Active Learning

4:27 - Goals and Objectives of Environmental Teaching

8:27 - Selection of Materials and Problems

10:23 - Providing Support for Learning: Structural & Small peer-group support

13:50 - Student Ownership

15:42 - Environmental Teaching: a Vygotskian Perspective

Full text: http://tiny.cc/p09rsz

(Originally posted April 18, 2020) "HPFs are all different: thinking is not the same as memory; memory is not the same as imagination; imagination is not the same as will; and will is not the same as attention. 'But my task,' Vygotsky said, 'my task is not to find what separates them; my task is to find what is similar . . . "

*excerpted from a chat w/ Nikolai Veresov on "the Principle of Developmental Tools" http://tiny.cc/mnpmsz

(Originally posted Apr 25, 2020) "The general advice is: when the child has a problem, don't think it it because of genetics; don't think it's because of brain disorder. Think about: maybe the child was not supported . . . think about how to introduce the tools he or she probably doesn't have"

Full video w/ Nikolai Veresov: http://tiny.cc/1qpmsz

(Originally posted Jan 23, 2020) Should Conservatives be wary of this theory?

Full video w/ Nikolai Veresov: http://tiny.cc/2983iz

(Originally posted Jan 10, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz) Chat 2 with Vygotskian psychologist, Nikolai Veresov.

Highlights include:

1:52 - The great puzzle of Vygotsky's time (The "Crisis of Psychology")

6:30 - Even Kant thought the crisis was unsolvable

9:22 - How to see the invisible (W. Wundt's experimental research challenge & discussion of Lower and Higher Psychological Functions, e.g., logical memory, voluntary attention, imagination)

19:50 - Why did Wundt separate LPF and HPF, and how did he study HPF?

22:43 - Vygotsky's main contribution (not just theory but new method)

Key point: when something is currently invisible, or inaccessible, (e.g., HPFs), see if you can go back to its infancy and track its development before it "disappears underground"

http://nveresov.narod.ru/KIP.pdf - see Nikolai's paper, "Introducing cultural historical theory: main concepts and principles of genetic research methodology"

(Originally posted Feb 10, 2020) I asked Andy Blunden for his explanation of Vygotsky's concept of the social situation of development, and here it is. Thanks, Andy.

Highlights include:

0:07 - How do we get from dependent newborn to independent adult?

1:16 - development takes place through a series of 'unique' stages

2:38 - resolved 'predicaments' fuel the transition between stages

4:54 - to get new needs met, the child overthrows the former situation to establish a new role

5:54 - mutual reinforcement between development and the social situation of development

8:05 - the social situation of development, concisely defined

8:38 - a preview of perezhivanie and adult development

More from Andy here: https://www.ethicalpolitics.org/wits/vygotsky-development.pdf

(Originally posted Feb 12, 2020) Andy Blunden weighs in.

(Originally posted Jun 25, 2020) What do you think is the most powerful threshold concept in Vygotsky's work? Andy Blunden weighs in, followed by responses from three other Vygotskian researchers.

From Meyer and Land (2003): "Threshold Concepts’ may be considered to be “akin to passing through a portal” or “conceptual gateway” that opens up “previously inaccessible way[s] of thinking about something”

Meyer and Land, 2003: "Our discussions with practitioners in a range of disciplinary areas have led us to conclude that a threshold concept, across a range of subject contexts, is likely to be:

Transformative, in that, once understood, its potential effect on student learning and behaviour is to occasion a significant shift in the perception of a subject, or part thereof.

Probably irreversible, in that the change of perspective occasioned by acquisition of a threshold concept is unlikely to be forgotten, or will be unlearned only by considerable effort.

Integrative; that is, it exposes the previously hidden interrelatedness of something."

Flanagan, 2020: "Examples of the threshold concept must be transformative and involve a traverse through a liminal space. They are likely to be characterised by many of, but not necessarily all of, the other features listed below:

Transformative: Once understood, a threshold concept changes the way in which the student views the discipline. - Troublesome: Threshold concepts are likely to be troublesome for the student. Perkins [1999, 2006] has suggested that knowledge can be troublesome e.g. when it is counter-intuitive, alien or seemingly incoherent.

Irreversible: Given their transformative potential, threshold concepts are also likely to be irreversible, i.e. they are difficult to unlearn.

Integrative: Threshold concepts, once learned, are likely to bring together different aspects of the subject that previously did not appear, to the student, to be related.

Bounded: A threshold concept will probably delineate a particular conceptual space, serving a specific and limited purpose.

Discursive: Meyer and Land [2] suggest that the crossing of a threshold will incorporate an enhanced and extended use of language.

Reconstitutive: "Understanding a threshold concept may entail a shift in learner subjectivity, which is implied through the transformative and discursive aspects already noted. Such reconstitution is, perhaps, more likely to be recognised initially by others, and also to take place over time (Smith)".

Liminality: Meyer and Land [4] have likened the crossing of the pedagogic threshold to a ‘rite of passage’ (drawing on the ethnographical studies of Gennep and of Turner in which a transitional or liminal space has to be traversed; “in short, there is no simple passage in learning from ‘easy’ to ‘difficult’; mastery of a threshold concept often involves messy journeys back, forth and across conceptual terrain. (Cousin [2006])”.

(Originally posted Jan 23, 2020) Why is Vygotsky's most famous concept still "a victim of misunderstanding"?

Full video here: http://tiny.cc/fl83iz

(Originally posted Jan 23, 2020) What's better: theory or practice?

Full video: http://tiny.cc/cr83iz

(Originally posted Jan 23, 2020) Are hard-science concepts similar to social-science ones? Are they equally reliable?

Full video: http://tiny.cc/cr83iz

(Originally posted Jan 23, 2020) "And then we look: do they have enough higher psychological functions to overcome this?"

Full video: http://tiny.cc/2983iz

(Originally posted Jan 23, 2020) An interesting explanation of lower and higher mental functions

Full video: http://tiny.cc/by93iz

(Originally posted Jun 16, 2020) Nikolai Veresov explains, via analogy, the difference between transformation and qualitative reorganization.

Full interview here: http://tiny.cc/lj0uqz

(Originally posted March 2, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/4nylsz) I am trying to understand Vygotsky's theory in a way that's easy to explain. This is harder than I had hoped. For instance, a sufficient understanding of dialectics appears to be a requirement. Here, I share helpful notes from a trusted source -- Kevin deLaplante -- with sincere thanks.

About Kevin: https://www.argumentninja.com/about

(Originally posted July 26, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/4nylsz) Some interesting paragraphs from Thinking & Speech, Ch. 6, pp. 169-70

(Originally published Jul 17, 2020) Nikolai Veresov says that understanding dialectics is a prerequisite for grasping the depth of Vygotsky's project, since "cultural-historical theory is the result of the application of dialectics into psychology." For instance, somewhat obscure concepts such as neoformations, drama, zpd, the process of development, and more become much clearer through the lens of dialectical logic.

Full video: http://tiny.cc/sqijsz

More on Vygotsky's application of dialectics here: http://tiny.cc/zqijsz

Holbrook Mahn illustrates an idea with an interesting anecdote about grammar

The full chat is here: http://tiny.cc/q5umuz

Notes for teachers on Holbrook's Academic Literacy for All (ALA) Protocol: http://tiny.cc/0lsmuz

Holbrook Mahn illustrates some question prompts and the thinking behind them.

These ideas come from his "Academic Literacy for All (ALA) Protocol."

The full chat is here: http://tiny.cc/q5umuz

Notes for teachers on Holbrook's Academic Literacy for All (ALA) Protocol: http://tiny.cc/0lsmuz

Holbrook Mahn comments on the origins of concepts, including Vygotsky's notion of potential concepts.

The full chat is here: http://tiny.cc/q5umuz

Holbrook Mahn on Vygotsky's interest in the unity of learning and development.

The full chat is here: http://tiny.cc/q5umuz

Vygotskian scholar Holbrook Mahn helps to illuminate the essence of concepts and how they might be purposefully developed.

Highlights include:

1:40 - Holbrook's role in (and relationship to) the "Vygotsky-sphere"

6:28 - Advantages of Holbrook's pre-Vygotsky background

8:51 - The importance of dialectics and process-oriented study

11:28 - The unity, not the identity, of learning and development

14:06 - Different aspects of the "system of concepts" concept

16:22 - What is a concept and what are the origins of concepts?

19:22 - Animals have concepts (pre-human concepts; potential concepts)

24:00 - Brain/mind unity, meaning, & sense - the creation of concepts

26:55 - Generalization and affect

34:45 - What is a "conceptual neuronal network"?

39:50 - Everyday & academic in classrooms (conceptual knowledge & conceptual understanding)

45:00 - Making everyday & academic concepts visual and explicit

48:55 - The ALA Protocol -- helping students access & develop academic concepts (see link below)

55:34 - Thinking in concepts 1:02:00 - Dialectical thinking (origins in the universe itself?)

1:06:06 - The process of constructing ALA prompts (a demo)

1:14:52 - Ending, not starting, with the verbal definitions

1:17:32 - Tribute to Mom

Additional resources:

Notes for teachers on Holbrook's Academic Literacy for All (ALA) Protocol: http://tiny.cc/0lsmuz

More from Holbrook here: https://home.edweb.net/people/holbrook-mahn/

Hierarchy of concepts snapshot: https://ifioque.com/psyche/concept-formation

My online grammar course is here: http://tiny.cc/rpsmuz (contact me directly for discounts)

Some concepts from Peter Smagorinsky's glossary, via his (2011) book Vygotsky and Literacy Research: A Methodological Framework http://tiny.cc/cy4muz

Nikolai Veresov on how the "leading function" of memory can create the illusion of concept development. Excerpted from http://tiny.cc/da2muz

Nikolai Veresov highlights one of the hardest challenges of teaching. Excerpted from http://tiny.cc/da2muz

Nikolai Veresov discusses ZPD's role in Vygotsky's conceptual system. Excerpted from http://tiny.cc/da2muz

In a follow-up to his video on the Social Situation of Development (http://tiny.cc/xuhkuz), Andy Blunden discusses the importance of perezhivanie to adult development.

0:03 - the question

2:34 - the word perezhivanie

7:50 - perezhivanie and personality

12:00 - comparing adulthood & childhood perezhivanie

"What does the Social Situation of Development mean?" - http://tiny.cc/xuhkuz

Should a simple question get a simple answer? Marxism archiver Andy Blunden offers his response.

In this follow-up to a previous chat about neoformations, development, and danger, David Kellogg shifts his focus from paintings to songs...

3:39 - "Haasati Aziva" by Dr. Oliver Mtukudzi

4:58 - The song, quite beautiful but poorly translated with Google Translate

24:48 - Four different views of anthropology (including Vygotsky's)

31:39 - "Ice Cream" by Blackpink

40:19 - "Todii" by Dr. Oliver (Tuku) Mtukudzi

45:56 - "Un di Felice" (La Traviata) - Giuseppe Verde (Netrebko & Villazon, perf.)

Previous chat here: "Development and Danger: the Importance of Neoformations" - http://tiny.cc/16xxtz

Nikolai Veresov, with contributions from David Kellogg, demonstrates how Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory is built as a system of concepts. To best understand (and use) one concept, it's important to understand its place and role in the theory, along with its relationships to other concepts and important ideas.

1:33 - ZPD 2:27 - ZPD + motivation

3:55 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion

5:16 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person

6:22 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie

10:13 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development

11:38 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + General Genetic Law

12:26 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts

13:02 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions

16:26 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions + signs & tools

18:41 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions + signs & tools + metacognition

23:55 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions + signs & tools + metacognition + refraction

26:59 - ZPD + motivation + drama & emotion + whole person + perezhivanie + development + GGL + spontaneous & scientific concepts + hidden dimensions + signs & tools + metacognition + refraction + social situation of development

28:19 - Cultural-historical theory as a system of concepts

Original source: http://tiny.cc/dvjjuz "Asia-Pacific Sociocultural, Cultural-historical & Activity Theory Summer School, January 2021"

While there are many pathways into Vygotsky's work, this approach, so far, has been the most sensible for a slow learner like me -- even if it's misguided and even if I'm still years away from synthesizing a lasting and holistic understanding. Initially published May 27, 2021

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/16xxtz

Highly relatable: "People develop concepts in what Vygotsky calls a 'twisting path' that does not proceed in a neat, linear fashion. Rather, one's route toward the development of a concept becomes detoured, rerouted, and otherwise thrown off course as new examples are considered for inclusion within the concept, and as one generates sufficiently extensive related knowledge to make consistent judgments." Smagorinsky (2012) Vygotsky and Literacy Research: A Methodological Framework

Linguist and Vygotskian scholar David Kellogg distinguishes two types of neoformations and hypothesizes on the deep roots and peculiarities of basketball. Initially published May 27, 2021

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/16xxtz

Using art, David Kellogg grounds a conceptual discussion of "neoformations" through an extended focus on a single line of development (negation) and its varied and accompanying neoformations. This conversation features David's recent translation of Vygotsky's Pedological Works, cross-cultural challenges of developmental education, and ideas for navigating a dangerous world. (First published May 22, 2021)

Highlights include:

1:42 - knowing vs. owning a word: Ant's background and aims for the discussion

4:38 - Another interesting word: What is the Synopticon?

6:15 - Yet another: переплетение (intertwining) -- and lace-making (Vermeer's "The Lace Maker")

9:42 - Pedology: a "murdered" science studying the unity of mind/body development

13:24 - Reminder: the map is not the territory

18:30 - Real problems in a dangerous world -- "the crisis of no" (Netscher's "The Lacemaker")

24:29 - Real problems, cont. - "the crisis of no" in Korea (mind, body, culture)

31:54 - When education is not a game (tricky problems and tragic consequences)

33:18 - Unplanned break (due to power outage)

33:22 - Theory picks up where metaphor stops; Vygotsky concurs

35:30 - Trying to understand neoformations using metaphor

38:50 - Limits of the thread metaphor

43:31 - Where are neoformations located?

49:40 - Consulting Vygotsky in times of crisis

51:56 - More types of neoformations - critical and stable ones

55:38 - What is picked apart and rethreaded? More cool examples

59:03 - Unraveling the social situation of development: the environment/child meeting point

1:05:02 - Visualizing 'thread patterns' within and between people (Halliday and Vygotsky)

1:12:14 - Answers without questions: potpourri (Ant's mic stopped working)

“. . . with each new epoch, the design must be picked apart and the old materials reknitted in a new way into a new form” - Unraveling Some Threads (early draft) - http://tiny.cc/t4xxtz

"I think teaching children to say no - when they're not really sure what they are saying no to - teaching children to say no to adults is kind of the most concrete, most specific, most practical way of thinking about developmental crises. And in fact, when we go back over the developmental crises that Vygotsky was talking about, we see that "No" plays a very important role." - 23:20

David Kellogg notes the benefits and limitations of conceptualizing neoformations as thread and as pattern. (First published May 21, 2021)

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/16xxtz

Nikolai Veresov gets provocative again, and I wonder, "Should I publish this?" There is little doubt that almost everybody in the field has forgotten more than I have learned about Vygotsky, so why should I publish provocations such as these? Because the information seems essential, important, and interesting. (Initially published May 11, 2021)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/sucxtz

Nikolai Veresov shares a book recommendation and gives the reasons why (Initially published May 11, 2021)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/sucxtz

Nikolai Veresov argues that Vygotsky's status is inaccurately valued and suggests reasons why. (Initially published May 11, 2021)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/sucxtz

Nikolai Veresov presents a case that Vygotsky is to psychology what Darwin is to biology, Newton is to physics, and Copernicus is to astronomy. Veresov suggests reasons for the undervaluing of Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory (CHT) and discusses potential pathways to restoration. (Initially published May 8, 2021)

Highlights include:

1:20 - What is the state of Vygotsky's "reputation" in 2021?

6:16 - A fundamental theory of psychological science

8:06 - CHT is a dialectical-psychological theory

12:40 - The Darwinian contribution of Vygotsky (Subject-matter)

17:45 - The Newtonian contribution of Vygotsky (Laws)

21:05 - The Copernican contribution of Vygotsky (Method)

27:02 - Is Vygotsky's theory undervalued, and if so is its status recoverable?

33:50 - Productive paths forward?

38:17 - Is Vygotsky's work treated with condescension?

41:55 - Is a Vygotskian TED-Talk doable and/or advisable?

46:16 - Inspirations and influences (Kravtsova, Bosovic, Davydov)

52:58 - Contemporary recommendations (Dafermos, van Oers, Zaretsky, Hedegaard, School 91)

58:01 - Marketplace for teachers: Activity Theory, CHAT, or CHT

1:02:29 - A brief summary of our discussion

http://tiny.cc/su7xtz - Rethinking Cultural-Historical Theory. A Dialectical Perspective to Vygotsky. Dafermos, M. (2018), Springer.

Nikolai Veresov explains how Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory was built as a system of concepts. Veresov then demonstrates how a CHT concept can be analyzed and applied as a theoretical tool.

0:03 - Analysis vs. Interpretation (and why the difference matters)

1:14 - Two questions for understanding the content of CHT concepts

2:19 - The importance of these two questions

3:21 - EXAMPLE: the interaction between ideal and present forms (Question 1)

5:17 - EXAMPLE: the interaction between ideal and present forms (Question 2)

*Excerpted from a private conversation (used with permission). Initially published April 21, 2021.

Nikolai Veresov discusses the under-reported "most important difference" between Piaget and Vygotsky, who had much in common, including a general approach to solving the "crisis in psychology."

Excerpted from a private conversation (and used with permission). Initially published April 21, 2021.

Reading Vygotsky is challenging, yet the challenge is part of the fun. These excerpts are a good doorway into Vygotsky's writing -- and if you like them, consider checking out any or all of the following:

https://bit.ly/3stZ2hJ - "Thinking and Speech, Chapter 6 - The Development of Scientific Concepts in Childhood"

https://bit.ly/2NZe8MZ - "Reading Thinking and Speech" video lectures from Nikolai Veresov

https://bit.ly/3ds693Z - Some notes on the Veresov lectures

https://bit.ly/31sXGrz - "Distinguishing Spontaneous, Scientific, and Pseudo- Concepts"

https://bit.ly/3dbZcno - Peter Smagorinsky on "Sturdy Concepts"

(Initially published March 27, 2021)

*excerpts are from Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). Thinking and Speech. In R. W. Rieber, & A. S. Carton (Eds.), The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky (Vol. 1), Problems of General Psychology (pp. 39-285). New York: Plenum Press. (Original Work Published 1934)

Bazerman (1997) on genre - an influential piece for me (Initially posted March 8, 2021)

Tangentially related to Vygotsky, but related enough.

Andy Blunden weighs in on a question I've been asking for a while: "What do you think the following passage means?" (Initially published January 25, 2021)

Additional responses, via xmca listserv, are here: http://tiny.cc/3l27tz

The passage in question: [A better understanding of child psychology is possible] "...only if we radically change our representation of child development and take into account that it is a complex dialectical process that is characterized by a complex periodicity, disproportion in the development of separate functions, metamorphoses or qualitative transformation of certain forms into others, a complex merging of the processes of evolution and involution, a complex crossing of external and internal factors, a complex process of overcoming difficulties and adapting" (Vygotsky 1997, Vol 4. pp. 98–99)

A review of Anis Bawarshi's (2003) book -- interesting from a Vygotskian and a pedagogical perspective. (Initially published December 23, 2020)

(I think I wrote this review but am not 100% sure. I will update as soon as I find out for sure and will credit appropriately if necessary!)

This paper was written for a course at Temple University about 10 or 12 years ago. (Initially published December 21, 2020)

Jerome Bruner was kind enough to read the paper and to reply: "Thank you for sending on your thoughtful piece on my early work on curricula and school learning . . . I found it very stimulating."

Paper here: http://tiny.cc/o9v6tz

Excerpts from a 2009 curriculum design paper titled, "A genre theory model of collaborative inquiry." (Initially published December 20, 2020)

This middle section of the paper references Bazerman, Bawarshi, Bruner, Devitt, Freadman, Halliday, Hillocks, Smith & Wilhelm, and Wiggins & McTighe.

The first section, not included, introduces the project and review curricular theory from Addams, Apple, Bobbitt, Dewey, Eisner, Montessori, Noddings, Pinar, and Popham.

The final section of the paper aims to combine genre theory and collaborative inquiry in a hybrid-learning model, via an online class-blog.

Paper here: http://tiny.cc/3l27tz

This is one of my favorite assignments, in part because it arose as a solution to multiple, simultaneous problems. And also because the resulting work from students is always fun to read.

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/r5v6tz

Class document here: http://tiny.cc/o9v6tz

This lesson is good enough but also far from great. How might you rethink, revise, or improve it? Huw Lloyd offers more helpful feedback on this and other lessons here: http://tiny.cc/r5v6tz (Initially published December 17, 2020)

Class documents here: http://tiny.cc/i9v6tz

Huw Lloyd helps me to rethink a lesson that I like but also know is flawed. The suggestions are adaptable to many types of lesson revision. (Initially published December 17, 2020)

The lesson, influenced by Vygotsky's idea that "word meaning develops," is summarized here: http://tiny.cc/z7v6tz

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/r5v6tz

Main reference: "The primary result of this work . . .that constitutes the conceptual center of our investigation (is) the finding that word meaning develops. The discovery that word meaning changes and develops is our new and fundamental contribution to the theory of thinking and speech. It is our major discovery, a discovery that has allowed us to overcome the postulate of constancy and unchangableness of word meaning which has provided the foundation for previous theories of thinking and speech." (Vygotsky, 1987, p. 245) The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 1. Problems of general psychology, Including the volume Thinking and Speech. New York: Plenum. Vygotsky, L. S.

Related: "Where do new words come from?" - Marcel Danesi (TED-ED) - http://tiny.cc/flx6tz

Huw Lloyd suggests a method of concept-building where the concept (in this case, register) feels like a "personal invention not (just) a historical invention." (Initially published December 17, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/r5v6tz

Huw Lloyd discusses some cognitive benefits of synthesizing different perspectives, invoking an interesting metaphor from Michael Cole. (Initially published December 17, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/r5v6tz

After clarifying some theoretical distinctions and then presenting some teaching ideas of his own, developmental researcher Huw Lloyd helps me to rethink some of my own classroom lessons. Classroom handouts are linked at the bottom of this description. (Initially published December 15, 2020)

Highlights include:

0:40 - Clarifying the relationship between activity and epistemological forms

3:40 - Attention is freed up when operations are achieved (gas-tank analogy)

7:24 - Designing lessons to distribute activities amongst the group

10:20 - Bringing multiple perspectives together

12:12 - Davydovian ways to introduce academic concepts (e.g., register)

20:16 - A request for feedback on some classroom lessons

21:40 - Activity 1: "Word meaning develops"

24:30 - Huw's feedback on lesson 1: redesigns to make students more active participants

31:24 - Reaching all students is a challenge -- some ideas

37:10 - Activity 2: building poetry-reading skills

41:33 - Huw's feedback on lesson 2: restructure to enhance independence & authentic inquiry

48:15 - Activity 3: the follow-up assessment to lesson 2

50:05 - Activity 4: "The Visitor" - imaginative in-role mentorship

54:00 - Huw's feedback on lesson 4

59:42 - Reaching all students is a challenge -- some ideas

1:02:10 - Ideas to extend or rethink lessons from a developmental education lens

1:07:04 - Seeing into students' heads is a challenge

1:08:42 - Pedagogical takeaways from Huw

1:13:04 - A final key point: redesigning for problem-oriented inquiry

References:

Lloyd, H. (2020) "A Study of Active Orientation, Part 1: A Perspective-Based Theory of Cognitive Development" - http://tiny.cc/vua6tz

Classroom handouts: http://tiny.cc/snr6tz

This chat is Part 3/3. Part 2 is here: http://tiny.cc/tnr6tz

Huw Lloyd gives an example of how sign use can turn a conscious action into an unconscious operation. (Initially published December 13, 2020)

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/kac6tz

Lloyd, H. (2020) "A Study of Active Orientation, Part 1: A Perspective-Based Theory of Cognitive Development" - http://tiny.cc/vua6tz

In a previous chat, Huw Lloyd introduced "5 epistemological forms implicated in cognitive development." Here, Here Huw digs into various finer details of how such forms may develop, and also discusses how and why the trio signs, actions, and operations can be a helpful system for construing psychological development. Part 1 is here: http://tiny.cc/4om6tz (Initially published December 13, 2020)

Highlights include:

0:28 - Getting more into the formative process of cognitive development (or recapping/clarifying some key parts of part 1)

3:45 - Some useful ways to think about epistemological forms

5:25 - We can choose to treat anything - within our perception - as a sign

8:42 - Situation- and setting-based reasoning

13:25 - Knowing where to look: epistemology can fuel confidence in setting-based situations

16:50 - Empirical vs theoretical orientations

20:24 - The compelling nature of not knowing

25:30 - Planting a flag to recap the chat thus far

26:50 - The relation of Huw's work to Activity Theory and CHT

28:12 - Actions as goal-directed movement & thinking (made manifest through signs)

30:39 - Automatic vs. autonomic operations

35:44 - Operations don't require conscious attentions and are not serial (brick wall analogy)

38:44 - Conscious actions can turn into unconscious operations

42:29 - A "middle ground" where a residue of external signs still remains (w/ examples)

48:00 - The role of active orientation in expressing intention

50:22 - Actions and reactions (and emotions regulating actions)

55:11 - Productively distinguishing emotion from feeling

1:02:07 - How signs can suggest strategy and thus orientation (followed by a demonstration)

1:04:30 - Discerning AO by studying microdevelopment and morphogenesis of actions into operations

1:10:30 - Capturing neoformations and demonstrating conscious awareness and independence

1:14:16 - Does this kind of analysis transfer to many domains?

1:15:40 - Development is not just about importing culture but increasingly sophisticated sign use

1:16:59 - How might similar investigations go with older learners?

1:21:27 - Some quick closing questions

Some quotations:

"these epistemological forms are representative of degrees of sophistication with using signs"
"signs are like one side of the coin of which the other one is awareness"
"as your reasoning improves, the richness of where you can put your attention improves"
"he knows where to look" and has confidence
"those signs that become used can detach themselves from the necessity of conscious awareness of them"
"by looking at the configuration of signs at play, you can discern strategy, and from strategy you can discern orientation"

-"development is not just about importing culture" but increased "sophistication in the use of signs"

Lloyd, H. (2020) "A Study of Active Orientation, Part 1: A Perspective-Based Theory of Cognitive Development" - http://tiny.cc/vua6tz

What role does active orientation play in cognitive development, or cognitive reorganization? Huw Lloyd gives a unique answer. (Initially published December 9, 2020)

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/kac6tz

Lloyd, H. (2020) "A Study of Active Orientation, Part 1: A Perspective-Based Theory of Cognitive Development" - http://tiny.cc/vua6tz

Huw Lloyd introduces '5 epistemological forms implicated in cognitive development,' increasingly sophisticated forms of thinking. (Initially published December 8, 2020)

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/kac6tz

Lloyd, H. (2020) "A Study of Active Orientation, Part 1: A Perspective-Based Theory of Cognitive Development" - http://tiny.cc/vua6tz

Huw Lloyd cautions against ignoring epistemological or individual facets when talking about mental tools. (Initially published December 8, 2020)

Full chat: http://tiny.cc/kac6tz

Lloyd, H. (2020) "A Study of Active Orientation, Part 1: A Perspective-Based Theory of Cognitive Development" - http://tiny.cc/vua6tz

Huw Lloyd's work interests me for a few reasons: it is challenging, it is precise, and it addresses ambiguities that have confused me in the past. In this chat, Huw and I discuss some pros and cons of being a 'theorist' along with his foundational paper, "A Study of Active Orientation, Part 1: A Perspective-Based Theory of Cognitive Development." (Initially published December 8, 2020)

Highlights include:

1:10 - Is Huw a theorist?

8:43 - Did Huw "invent" active orientation, Davydov-style?

15:15 - Active orientation (AO) as a variant of activity theory

17:07 - What role does AO play in cognitive development or cognitive reorganization?

20:24 - A few questions to hang in the air

22:53 - 5 epistemological forms implicated in cognitive development (by degrees of sophistication)

27:22 - Form 1: References to constant objects of action within a given context of activity

28:45 - Form 2: References to recurring contexts of activity

31:21 - Form 3: Reference to plans of action distinct from the activity that the plans are about

35:31 - Form 4: Reference to systems of criteria

41:18 - Form 5: References to self-generative processes 48:40 - Relating the 5 forms to Vygotsky (three variants of logical reasoning) 55:43 - What is "personal epistemological knowledge"? 59:00 - Huw's thinking style (and formative influences) 1:02:55 - A few thinking tips for reflective thinking and self-knowledge 1:13:03 - Active orientation and the formative process 1:20:22 - Don't ignore epistemological or individual facet when talking about mental tools! 1:23:08 - Mental tools in the classroom 1:27:14 - The importance of protracted, situated problem-solving (situation as teacher) 1:34:03 - Advice for teachers and mentors (active orientation and maximizing engagement) 1:36:50 - A marketing question for independent scholars

Lloyd, H. (2020) "A Study of Active Orientation, Part 1: A Perspective-Based Theory of Cognitive Development" - http://tiny.cc/vua6tz

Nikolai Veresov discusses the differences between cultural-historical theory (CHT) and cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and explains how each can be used effectively, while cautioning against conflating or combining the two. (Initially published December 3, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/s316tz

By example, Nikolai Veresov illustrates the method Vygotsky used to analyze the development of human consciousness. (Initially published December 3, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/s316tz

Nikolai Veresov discusses specific features of cultural-historical theory (CHT), cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), and also activity theory (AT). (Initially published December 3, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/s316tz

Nikolai Veresov addresses three stereotypes about himself and his opinions of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT). (Initially published December 3, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/s316tz

Veresov (2020) "Identity as a sociocultural phenomenon: the dialectics of belonging, being and becoming" is here: http://tiny.cc/pty5tz

Nikolai Veresov helps to distinguish cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and cultural-historical theory (CHT). (Initially published December 2, 2020)

Highlights include:

0:35 - What is CHAT? (Ant's confession)

1:58 - Nikolai's preference for clarification over comparison

3:39 - Veresov (2020): Two theories with many strengths

5:51 - Nikolai's appreciation and respect for CHAT

7:27 - Nikolai's concerns about CHAT

8:36 - Historical background of CHT, Activity Theory, and CHAT

15:24 - Why is this important?

19:17 - Is Nikolai alone here?

23:18 - Three coexisting theories

25:55 - Specific features of CHT and of CHAT

32:20 - Is CHAT more about systems while CHT is about individuals?

34:45 - Personality, transformation, and metamorphosis (CHAT and CHT)

38:31 - Is there a metamorphosis dynamic in CHAT?

40:44 - The concept of contradiction in CHT and in CHAT

43:41 - An example of dialectical unity (life and birth and death)

48:52 - Vygotskian application of dialectical unity (not subject-object but individual-social)

54:12 - Example: development of HPF or cultural forms of behavior?

59:36 - Mediation in CHAT and in CHT

1:04:11 - Can tools ever have more agency than individuals?

1:09:50 - Should perezhivanie make an appearance in CHAT?

1:16:49 - Is CHAT concerned with cultural or social development?

1:19:28 - Where is Vygotsky in CHAT?

1:21:32 - Can developmental CHT principles map onto CHAT-esque domains?

1:25:13 - Nikolai's objection Veresov (2020)

"Identity as a sociocultural phenomenon: the dialectics of belonging, being and becoming" is here: http://tiny.cc/pty5tz

David Kellogg shares a story (and a few slides) from a South Korean translation of Vygotsky's work on Emotions. (Initially published November 30, 2020)

Excerpted from "Can Vygotsky be simplified? (or at least illustrated?)" - http://tiny.cc/4ps5tz

Helena Worthen recreates what she might say to inquisitive members of her labor education classes. (Initially published December 1, 2020)

Helena's book, "What Did You Learn At Work Today?" is here: http://tiny.cc/l6v5tz

David Kellogg responds to two requests:

How are you using comic strips to present Vygotsky's teaching on the emotions?
Can Vygotsky's theory be simplified for a general audience, without being too 'simplistic'? (Initially published November 29, 2020)

More Q & A here: http://tiny.cc/73p4tz

"Is it true to say that everything is a process, that we should grasp the world as process rather than things?" Andy Blunden weighs in. (Initially published November 15, 2020)

More Q & A here: http://tiny.cc/73p4tz

Andy Blunden offers his thoughts. (Initially published November 14, 2020)

More Q & A here: http://tiny.cc/73p4tz

Important questions. Interesting answers. Excerpts from Andy Blunden, Huw Lloyd, Peter Smagorinsky, David Kellogg, and Nikolai Veresov provide a great start to a rich conversation... (Initially published November 1, 2020)

Sources for all clips are available here: http://tiny.cc/led1tz

Writing for the general public is challenging -- and rewarding. How would YOU explain Vygotsky's theory for a general audience -- e.g, parents, teachers, coaches, relatives -- without sacrificing accuracy? It might be harder than it looks! (Initially published October 30, 2020)

Academic Peter Smagorinsky publishes prolifically and also contributes regular newspaper columns for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Philosopher Andy Blunden translates, curates, and publishes at ethicalpolitics.org and also maintains a vibrant YouTube presence.

The full clips are available here: http://tiny.cc/ez91tz or here: http://tiny.cc/mz91tz

Jordan Hall offers a Vygotsky-esque definition of culture before focusing on one slice of culture: narrative storytelling. He then talks about various dimensions of narrative, including narrative as cultural-artifact, narrative as mythopoetic past, and narrative as a reliable "mythopoetic" guide for future-shaping, or at least for imagined futures. (Initially published October 28, 2020)

Full video here: http://tiny.cc/6a51tz

. . . and are they any wiser? Two excerpts from Daniel Schmachtenberger, on the dialectics of development and on proceeding with caution. (Initially published October 28, 2020.)

Sources: clip 1 - http://tiny.cc/kru0tz clip 2 - http://tiny.cc/mru0tz

Nikolai Veresov discusses the refraction and microgenesis of dramatic perezhivanie, a concept introduced previously with Marilyn Fleer. (Originally published October 20, 2020)

The full lecture, "Demystifying Perezhivanie: understanding development in the cultural-historical framework," is here: http://tiny.cc/87ezsz

Nikolai Veresov looks to the concept of perezhivanie to answer the question. (Originally published October 12, 2020)

The full lecture, "Demystifying Perezhivanie: understanding development in the cultural-historical framework," is here: http://tiny.cc/87ezsz

Nikolai Veresov discusses Vygotsky's "greatest contribution" -- the "discovery of the objectively existing laws of the development of all higher psychological functions" (Originally published October 12, 2020)

Side questions include: Have these laws been challenged? Is Vygotsky's theory a left-wing theory? Should conservatives be wary of this theory?

Excerpted from "Vygotsky's Role in the History of Psychology - Part 2" http://tiny.cc/2983iz

In an era of widespread replication crises, particularly in the social sciences, Nikolai Veresov reminds us that qualitative changes "don't come back." He then illustrates this "principle of sustainable results" with a historical anecdote about about Soviet propaganda and one researcher's honor. (Originally published September 14, 2020)

More on the principle of sustainable results (Principle 5) here: http://tiny.cc/gvxusz

Excerpted from "Cultural-historical genetic research methodology-Part 1 by Nikolai Veresov" http://tiny.cc/9g2usz

Nikolai Veresov argues that Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) was created as a research tool, specifically as a means of helping researchers "find the buds" of development, i.e., to determine which psychological functions are in their earliest stage of development. (Originally published September 14, 2020)

The ZPD, therefore, is the conceptual tool that aligns with research principle #1: 'the principle of buds of development' (more here: http://tiny.cc/gvxusz)

Excerpted from "Cultural-historical genetic research methodology-Part 1 by Nikolai Veresov" http://tiny.cc/9g2usz

Nikolai Veresov argues that Vygotsky's subject matter required a special methodology for analysis -- and that the subject matter, theory, and methods must all be aligned. (Originally published September 11, 2020)

Excerpted from "Cultural-historical genetic research methodology-Part 1 by Nikolai Veresov" http://tiny.cc/9g2usz

cf. http://tiny.cc/bg2usz "Advice for publishing social science research"

This is a classroom lesson, repurposed for online "distance learning," and based in part of the following quotation:

"Word meaning is a phenomenon of verbal thought, or of the meaningful word. It is a unity of word and thought. No further evidence is needed to support this basic thesis. Our experimental studies have consistently supported and justified it. They have shown that by taking word meaning as a unit of verbal thinking we create the potential for investigating its development and explaining its most important characteristics at the various developmental stages. The primary result of this work, however, is not this thesis itself but a subsequent conclusion that constitutes the conceptual center of our investigation, that is, the finding that word meaning develops. The discovery that word meaning changes and develops is our new and fundamental contribution to the theory of thinking and speech. It is our major discovery, a discovery that has allowed us to overcome the postulate of constancy and unchangableness of word meaning which has provided the foundation for previous theories of thinking and speech." L. S. Vygotsky (1934/1987) Thinking and Speech, Chapter 7, p. 245

(Originally published September 12, 2020)

Lesson summary and links: http://tiny.cc/zu4usz

Closing song: "Ethereal" (2017) by Hunter Myers (grade 8 at the time)

David Kellogg characterizes Vygotsky's teaching and thinking, and also explains why Vygotsky will keep us busy for another 100 years. (Originally published September 20, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/j60usz

David Kellogg cites language as the interface between individual and environment, and the development of word meaning as the prime builder of memory. (Originally published September 10, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/j60usz

David Kellogg finds Vygotsky in an interesting national curriculum.

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/j60usz

From a pedological lens, David Kellogg suggests that there's a time and place for progressive, child-centered teaching -- under special conditions, and certainly not as a matter of course. (Originally published September 10, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/j60usz

In this teaching-centric conversation, David Kellogg shares an interesting perspective on pedagogical (and pedological) Vygotsky. (Originally published September 9, 2020)

Highlights include:

0:46 - Pedology vs. pedagogy

5:24 - Vygotsky's long life after death . . . and some Breaking News

10:02 - The important of "interests" for concept development

11:48 - Hats David has worn (continuing the point on "interests")

16:38 - Challenging children & zones of actual vs next development

18:35 - Can memory be developed late, and if so, how?

24:00 - Types of games (R. Caillois) and the importance of semantic memory

26:50 - The importance of language & the (in)appropriateness of progressive teaching

30:11 - An elaboration of Vygotsky's law of four stages (cf. http://tiny.cc/e8vtsz)

35:10 - A developmental educational framework David likes -- and his Vygotskian spin on it

42:25 - Semantic memory and "Conversation as the great chain-complex of child development"

44:04 - Some of teaching suggestions Anthony appreciated (original: https://bit.ly/33dAoGz)

49:43 - Vygotsky's partial critique of "Thinking and Speech: Chapter 5"

57:55 - What is semantic memory (and semantic meaning)?

1:04:53 - An engaging teaching demo aimed toward semantic meaning development

1:09:01 - Why David thinks Language trumps Activity

1:14:32 - Vygotsky as teacher and pedagogical philosopher

Three follow-up questions - on the idea of 'unit of analysis' - after a recent chat with Andy Blunden. (Originally published September 5, 2020)

The recent chat referenced is here: http://tiny.cc/uzvssz

Vygotsky is a nice common interest. As caricatures, Andy and I should hate each other; as individuals, not so much. (Originally published September 4, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/iptssz

Andy Blunden reflects - personally and generally - on the role of dramatic experiences on personality development. (Originally published September 4, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/iptssz

Andy Blunden lists various units of analysis developed by Vygotsky during a fertile period, against a revolutionary backdrop. (Originally published September 4, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/iptssz

Andy Blunden distinguishes the 'mechanical' unit of analysis from the 'organic' (Originally published September 4, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/iptssz

Andy Blunden offers historical context and an explanation. (Originally published September 4, 2020)

Full chat here: http://tiny.cc/iptssz

Huw Lloyd focuses on a "small but very powerful set of ideas" at the heart of a developmental education approach.

Full video: http://tiny.cc/vhbrsz

Huw Lloyd on the pleasures of implementing ideas into real-world results, and making room for such emotions in classrooms, via a problem-oriented approach. (Originally published September 3, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/vhbrsz

Huw Lloyd identifies some key attributes of developmental education. (Originally published September 3, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/vhbrsz

Huw Lloyd suggests personal and classroom benefits of being mindful of our own active orientation. (Originally published September 3, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/vhbrsz

Developmental researcher Huw Lloyd gives an introduction. (Originally published September 3, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/vhbrsz

Excerpts from George Hillocks, Jr.'s (1995) book, Teaching Writing as Reflective Practice (Originally published September 1, 2020)

0:23 - Three Modes of Teaching: Environmental, Presentational, and Natural Process

2:40 - Features of Environments for Active Learning

4:27 - Goals and Objectives of Environmental Teaching

8:27 - Selection of Materials and Problems

10:23 - Providing Support for Learning: Structural & Small peer-group support

13:50 - Student Ownership

15:42 - Environmental Teaching: a Vygotskian Perspective

Full text: http://tiny.cc/p09rsz

Researcher and chronicler Andy Blunden reflects on his own relationship with Vygotsky, his role and contributions to the Vygotsky-sphere, and some developmental landmarks. (Originally published August 28, 2020)

Highlights include:

1:45 - Andy's role in the Vygotsky-sphere

7:20 - Hegel's 'unit of analysis' (circle/whole) and das einfach

15:15 - Vygotsky's inventiveness & extensions of the Goethe/Hegel 'unit of analysis' tradition

22:09 - "Vygotsky was to psychology like Einstein was to physics" (interdisciplinary breakthroughs)

27:48 - CHAT/CHT and orthodoxy ("the only orthodoxy is science")

34:11 - What are the best and worst critiques of Marxism from the Right?

43:10 - Andy's expertise and 'social change' analyses via the 'unit of analysis' approach

56:30 - How accurate have Andy's 'unit of analysis' diagnoses been?

1:01:30 - What is Vygotsky's theory?

1:10:35 - Does development happen gradually or suddenly?

1:18:54 - Is collective development a thing, or individuals only? (collective perezhivanie)

1:26:21 - "Dialectics of development" and different types of change

1:34:09 - Any "Vygotskian moments" in Andy's own development?

1:45:10 - Themes in Andy's story?

1:49:23 - How will Andy be remembered?

References: "The coronavirus pandemic is a world perezhivanie" - https://bit.ly/32zJOfg

Fate of a Man (1959) - https://bit.ly/3hDXbRL

"The Unit of Analysis and Germ Cell in Hegel, Marx, and Vygotsky" - https://bit.ly/2YLFqsn

Researcher Huw Lloyd, fluent in numerous mental models, is a good explainer of concepts -- including many I was completely unversed in. A few threads run through the entirety of this chat: development, self-awareness, and construing an active orientation to any given situation.

SECTION 1: Our pathways to Vygotsky

0:36 - Reflections on Huw's recent "Vygotsky and Parenting" (http://tiny.cc/ymqpsz)

1:45 - Pros and cons of taking scholarly shortcuts

6:07 - Huw's arrival to Vygotsky, in part through dissatisfaction elsewhere

SECTION 2: Huw's ideas about Active Orientation

16:38 - What is Active Orientation?

23:30 - Is Active Orientation a practice? (An exercise in self awareness)

31:58 - Active Orientation can be documented (microgenesis research of Huw's)

SECTION 3: What is Developmental Education?

40:37 - A primer on Davydov and Developmental Education

46:07 - Empirical thinking vs. Theoretical thinking

50:23 - Grokking the material and the History of ideas

52:59 - Problems are Good

55:40 - An illustrative lesson of Davydov's

1:03:43 - Some key characteristics of developmental education

1:07:41 - Crises, construals, and neoformations

1:10:20 - The Desert Oak: a developmental TRIZ problem

SECTION 4: Imagination and Confidence-building

1:16:07 - Imagination, flow, and problem-solving

1:24:10 - Systems and Design Ideas (TRIZ approach)

1:30:22 - Earned, authoritative confidence: Your tempered ideas are become Real

1:35:20 - The importance of problem-construal or framing

1:48:04 - Problem-creating, -solving, and -construing

1:53:51 - This is rich, highly concentrated material (Foundational, generative, "unfoldable" concepts)

1:55:27 - Notational vs. developmental education (and epistemology)

1:57:10 - Final two questions (adult-development & advice for problem-designers)

2:06:20 - Complex vs. complicated (and self-regulation and distance learning)

2:09:46 - An idea for lunch (as promised: http://tiny.cc/bvqpsz)

References:

http://tiny.cc/5vqpsz - "A Study of Active Orientation" (brief introduction)

http://tiny.cc/2xqpsz - "TRIZ: a Powerful Methodology for Creative Problem Solving"

http://tiny.cc/dxqpsz - "Going with the Flow: How to Engage Boys (and Girls) in Their Literacy Learning"

Two excerpts from Peter Smagorinsky's (2012) "Vygotsky, 'Defectology,' and the Inclusion of People of Difference in the Broader Cultural Stream" (Originally published August 21, 2020)

0:14 - "Vygotsky's View of the Defect"

6:36 - "Discussion"

Full text: http://tiny.cc/5pqosz

Three excerpts from Nikolai Veresov's "Discovering the Great Royal Seal: New Reality of Vygotsky’s Legacy" (Originally published August 21, 2020)

0:16 - "The subject-matter of cultural-historical theory"

8:22 - "New realities and new opportunities"

11:32 - "Final remarks"

Full article: http://tiny.cc/4mnosz

An excerpt from one of my favorite books, James Wertsch's (1985) "Vygotsky and the Social Formation of Mind" (Originally published August 20. 2020)

An excerpt from Seth Chaiklin's (2003) "The zone of proximal development in Vygotsky’s analysis of learning and instruction" -- from the section, "Vygotsky's Theory of Child Development" (Originally published August 20, 2020)

Full text: http://tiny.cc/aenosz

Nikolai Veresov being provocative -- no surprise there : ) (Originally published May 13, 2020 here: http://tiny.cc/f72osz)

Do the many benefits of (terminological) diversity outweigh the drawbacks? What if you're not an "insider"?

Full source: http://tiny.cc/vew0oz (recommended!)

Excerpted from "Spinoza, Chess, and Other Magic Gateways" featuring David Kellogg.

Full video: http://tiny.cc/fyansz

In response to a question from a Chapter 6 excerpt from Thinking and Speech, Andy expands the passage and weighs in. (Originally published August 14, 2020)

Relevant and related content from Andy is here: http://tiny.cc/aw84iz

Here is the passage in question, from Thinking and Speech, Ch. 6, pp. 190-1:

"To perceive something in a different way means to acquire new potentials for acting with respect to it. At the chess board, to see differently is to play differently. By generalizing the process of activity itself, I acquire the potential for new relationships with it. To speak crudely, it is as if this process has been isolated from the general activity of consciousness. I am conscious of the fact that I remember. I make my own remembering the object of consciousness. An isolation arises here. In a certain sense, any generalization or abstraction isolates its object. This is why conscious awareness – understood as generalization – leads directly to mastery.

Thus, the foundation of conscious awareness is the generalization or abstraction of the mental processes, which leads to their mastery. Instruction has a decisive role in this process. Scientific concepts have a unique relationship to the object. This relationship is mediated through other concepts that themselves have an internal hierarchical system of interrelationships. It is apparently in this domain of the scientific concept that conscious awareness of concepts or the generalization and mastery of concepts emerges for the first time. And once a new structure of generalization has arisen in one sphere of thought, it can – like any structure – be transferred without training to all remaining domains of concepts and thought. Thus, conscious awareness enters through the gate opened up by the scientific concept."

David Kellogg's close-reading of this same passage is here: http://tiny.cc/9vansz

Huw and I are parents of the same-aged children -- boys for him, girls for me. Having read various of Huw's written contributions with interest, I was eager to hear his thoughts on parenting and Vygotsky. As is often the case with topics such as these, Huw had more to contribute than he initially realized. Thank you to Huw, and perhaps he and I can continue the conversation on developmental education, a topic I'd like to understand more clearly. (Originally published August 14, 2020)

1:23 - Section 1: Introduction and Preamble

28:32 - Section 2: Personal Notes, Parenting, and Vygotsky

More from Huw here: http://tiny.cc/d6ansz

David Kellogg offers us a Vygotsky close-reading, along with some interesting personal anecdotes, grounded in some visual storytelling about chess and xianqi. (Originally published August 12, 2020)

More here on David's new book translation on Vygotsky's late-career lectures on pedology: http://tiny.cc/4p3nsz

Here is the passage in question, from Thinking and Speech, Ch. 6, pp. 190-1:

"To perceive something in a different way means to acquire new potentials for acting with respect to it. At the chess board, to see differently is to play differently. By generalizing the process of activity itself, I acquire the potential for new relationships with it. To speak crudely, it is as if this process has been isolated from the general activity of consciousness. I am conscious of the fact that I remember. I make my own remembering the object of consciousness. An isolation arises here. In a certain sense, any generalization or abstraction isolates its object. This is why conscious awareness – understood as generalization – leads directly to mastery.

Thus, the foundation of conscious awareness is the generalization or abstraction of the mental processes, which leads to their mastery. Instruction has a decisive role in this process. Scientific concepts have a unique relationship to the object. This relationship is mediated through other concepts that themselves have an internal hierarchical system of interrelationships. It is apparently in this domain of the scientific concept that conscious awareness of concepts or the generalization and mastery of concepts emerges for the first time. And once a new structure of generalization has arisen in one sphere of thought, it can – like any structure – be transferred without training to all remaining domains of concepts and thought. Thus, conscious awareness enters through the gate opened up by the scientific concept."

Interesting clip from an online Nikolai Veresov lecture

"concepts are analytical tools . . . and I'm afraid that the concept of perezhivanie will have the same destiny another famous concept of Vygotsky, Zone of Proximal Development, which was misunderstood for the last 30 years"

Full video: https://vimeo.com/164861983

(This excerpt was published on February 5, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

Interesting clip from a 2010 Natalia Gajdamaschko talk

". . . development comes out of resolving some sort of contradiction . . . some type of crisis . . . a good crisis"

Full video: http://tiny.cc/5fjejz "Part 5 - Natalia Gajdamaschko on Vygotsky"

(This excerpt was published on January 30, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

The fifth of an interesting set of clips from 2014 Holbrook Mahn talk.

Clip 5: Mahn's take on #ZPD, yet another update (corrective?) to Vygotsky's most cited (and most misinterpreted?) concept.

Full video: http://tiny.cc/eybwiz

*Compare this take to @psmagorinsky's ZND (http://tiny.cc/a5bwiz), Nikolai Veresov's 'levels' of HPFs (http://tiny.cc/zdcwiz), & Chaiklin's (http://tiny.cc/d315hz)

(This excerpt was published on January 30, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

The fourth of an interesting set of clips from 2014 Holbrook Mahn talk.

Clip 4: creating deliberate bridges from everyday to academic language

Full video: http://tiny.cc/eybwiz

(This excerpt was published on January 30, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

The third of an interesting set of clips from 2014 Holbrook Mahn talk.

Clip 3: Particularly helpful for second language learners . . .

Full video: http://tiny.cc/eybwiz

(This excerpt was published on January 30, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

The second of an interesting set of clips from 2014 Holbrook Mahn talk.

Clip 2: How might academic concepts show up in everyday life? Start there.

Full video: http://tiny.cc/eybwiz

(This excerpt was published on January 30, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

The first of an interesting set of clips from 2014 Holbrook Mahn talk.

Clip 1: concept mapping (conceptual systems)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/eybwiz

teaching #conceptdevelopment #zpd

(This excerpt was published on January 30, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

This brief clip raises a number of questions, including:

where are 'the buds'? - what are the qualitative reorganizations here?
why are the buds (e.g., of volition) not yet present for the 3 year-olds, present for the 5 year-olds, and already flowered for the 8 year-olds? (ages are approximate, I know)
how temporary is the 5 year-olds' improved volition? does it wear off?
is it now 'activated' for good? - for the 8 year-olds, is volition developed for tasks such as standing still but still in 'bud' stage for more demanding acts of will?

Original source: "Mike Cole on ZOPED" http://tiny.cc/jtivpz

More here: "Vygotsky and Context: Toward a Resolution of Theoretical Disputes" http://tiny.cc/yv6upz

(This short excerpt was published on May 28, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/vr3nsz)

Peter Smagorinsky describes some of his most beloved lessons -- competitive vocabulary games. Resources to each of these games are available for free at http://www.petersmagorinsky.net/TEBD/Books/Vocabulary_Games/ExpansionsIndex.htm

Our full interview, "Insights & Inquiries with Peter Smagorinsky" is here: http://tiny.cc/ceumsz

Peter Smagorinsky makes a case for constructivism, offering some definitions along the way. (Originally published August 9, 2020)

The full interview, "Insights & Inquiries with Peter Smagorinsky" is here: http://tiny.cc/ceumsz

Peter Smagorinsky shares a bit of advice based on numerous decades spent teaching, researching, and training future teachers. (Originally published August 9, 2020)

The full interview, "Insights & Inquiries with Peter Smagorinsky" is here: http://tiny.cc/ceumsz

Or were other factors more salient? In this clip, Peter Smagorinsky relates an interesting case study from his recent book, "Learning to Teach English and the Language Arts: A Vygotskian Perspective on Beginning Teachers’ Pedagogical Concept Development" - http://tiny.cc/aeumsz (Originally published August 9, 2020)

Our full interview, "Insights and Inquiries with Peter Smagorinsky" is here: http://tiny.cc/ceumsz

Andy Blunden weighs in. (Originally published Aug 8, 2020)

More from Andy on this topic here: https://www.ethicalpolitics.org/wits/...

Also here: http://tiny.cc/ltrmsz

These three clips have captured my attention. (Originally published Apr 25, 2020)

Clip 1 - Vygotsky's "Law of 4 Stages"

Clip 2 - How this law can help teachers and students

Clip 3 - A memory game (biological vs. cultural memory)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/byn7rz

Nikolai Veresov says that understanding dialectics is a prerequisite for grasping the depth of Vygotsky's project, since "cultural-historical theory is the result of the application of dialectics into psychology." For instance, somewhat obscure concepts such as neoformations, drama, zpd, the process of development, and more become much clearer through the lens of dialectical logic. (Originally published Jul 17, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/sqijsz

More on Vygotsky's application of dialectics here: http://tiny.cc/zqijsz

An interesting contribution to a larger cultural conversation, with Peter Smagorinsky (Originally published Jul 11, 2020)

Original chat here: http://tiny.cc/4v5asz

Nikolai Veresov on Biological vs. Cultural memory A demonstration of the influence of a 'cultural tool' on a higher mental function (Originally published Feb 13, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/drpmsz

https://twitter.com/cvoelter/status/1153932664925298693

Nikolai Veresov offers his views on the topic of persuading his skeptics. (Originally published Jun 16, 2020)

Full interview here: http://tiny.cc/lj0uqz

Playlist - "5 Principles for Vygotskian Research" here: http://tiny.cc/owkwqz

Nikolai Veresov explains how the Principle of Sustainable Results can be used to keep us (as researchers, teachers, individuals, etc) and our claims humble. (Originally published Jun 16, 2020)

Full interview here: http://tiny.cc/lj0uqz

Nikolai Veresov explains, via analogy, the difference between transformation and qualitative reorganization. (Originally published Jun 16, 2020)

Full interview here: http://tiny.cc/lj0uqz

Nikolai Veresov makes an interesting observation about the links between culture, humanity, thinking, and the importance of 'ideal forms' (Originally published Jun 16, 2020)

Full interview here: http://tiny.cc/lj0uqz

Nikolai Veresov explains how Vygotsky solved a logical conundrum by shifting from one logical paradigm to another, thereby focusing on 'objective processes' instead of subjective phenomena. (Originally published Jun 15, 2020)

Full interview here: http://tiny.cc/lj0uqz

"The general advice is: when the child has a problem, don't think it it because of genetics; don't think it's because of brain disorder. Think about: maybe the child was not supported . . . think about how to introduce the tools he or she probably doesn't have" (Originally published Apr 25, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/1qpmsz

Psychologist Nikolai Veresov describes Vygotsky's "most important" law of 4 stages of development of human higher psychological functions (HPFs). Veresov suggests that students might struggle because one or more of their HPFs (e.g., thinking, memory, imagination, will, attention) has been interrupted at one of the stages of development. (Originally published Apr 20, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/eppmsz

Do we teach argument naively? Too rigidly? (Originally published April 19, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/zopmsz

For what it's worth, I think it's great to talk up and promote your own book. If I ever wrote one, I'd talk about it all the time : ) Here, Nikolai Veresov introduces his recent project with David Kellogg -- their translation and commentary on Vygotsky's late-career lectures on pedology: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-0528-7 (Originally published April 18, 2020)

*excerpted from a chat on "the Principle of Developmental Tools" http://tiny.cc/mnpmsz

"HPFs are all different: thinking is not the same as memory; memory is not the same as imagination; imagination is not the same as will; and will is not the same as attention. 'But my task,' Vygotsky said, 'my task is not to find what separates them; my task is to find what is similar . . . " (Originally published April 18, 2020)

*excerpted from a chat on "the Principle of Developmental Tools" http://tiny.cc/mnpmsz

"It is not the stick that takes the banana; it's chimpanzee-using-stick to take the banana"

*excerpted from a chat on "the Principle of Developmental Tools" http://tiny.cc/mnpmsz

Peter Smagorinsky compares the well-known ZPD concept (zone of proximal development) with the less-known, longer-looking ZND (zone of next development). (Originally published Mar 11, 2020)

Source: http://tiny.cc/t6e5kz

References: "Is Instructional Scaffolding Actually Vygotskian, and Why Should It Matter to Literacy Teachers?" https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jaal.756

The Butterflies of Zagorsk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butterflies_of_Zagorsk

How specific predicaments can force the development of skills, and fuel the dynamic transition between stages (Originally published Feb 10, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/13ntjz

How does 'the social situation' influence development? It's a dynamic process . . . (Originally published Feb 10, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/13ntjz

The stuff before the stuff needed to survive out there in the big wide world. (Originally published Jan 24, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/aw84iz

When you think you understand key CHT ideas only to realize: http://tiny.cc/zf94iz (Originally published Jan 24, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/aw84iz

This is a great analogy to describe 'the beginning of conceptual thought.' (Originally published Jan 24, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/aw84iz

"The Great Puzzle" could be a great movie -- the discovery of how we actually become human. (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/pt93iz

It's possible - by studying the Process of development -- not just results, but the whole process, from 'roots' to 'fruits' (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/pt93iz

"I want this lost voice to come back again" (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/2983iz

What are the roots or pathways of 'real knowledge'? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/jy83iz

How is a concept like a solved puzzle? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/jy83iz

How can teachers arrange problems worth solving? (where learning a concept = solving the problem; vice-versa) (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/jy83iz

Was it Vygotsky's range of mental models that enabled him to see and solve 'unsolvable' problems? Speakers include Nikolai Veresov, Shane Parrish, Steven Strogatz (Originally published Feb 6, 2020)

Is long-windedness an sign of insecurity - or something else, or both? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/by93iz

My own preference is multivocalism http://tiny.cc/7w93iz (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/by93iz

An interesting explanation of lower and higher mental functions (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/by93iz

An interesting study by Marilyn Fleer, Nikolai Veresov, and Sue Walker: http://tiny.cc/g73liz "Playworlds and Executive Function in Children" (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/2983iz

"And then we look: do they have enough higher psychological functions to overcome this?" (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/2983iz

Should Conservatives be wary of this theory? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/2983iz

How can you study a tool by using the same tool? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/u483iz

What are the costs of learning difficult concepts? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/cr83iz

Are hard-science concepts similar to social-science ones? Are they equally reliable? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/cr83iz

Are there any benefits to trying to study Vygotsky on your own? And is it doable? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/cr83iz

What's better: theory or practice? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/cr83iz

When does learning NOT make us smarter?

Full video: http://tiny.cc/fl83iz

"we didn't give up; we overcame the dramas of our lives...and the way we look on the world now very much depends on the dramas of our life we've overcome..." (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/fl83iz

What would Nikolai say is the central point of CHT? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video: http://tiny.cc/fl83iz

Why is Vygotsky's most famous concept still "a victim of misunderstanding"? (Originally published Jan 23, 2020)

Full video here: http://tiny.cc/fl83iz

What do you think is the most powerful threshold concept in Vygotsky's work? Andy Blunden weighs in, followed by responses from three other Vygotskian researchers. (Originally published Jun 25, 2020)

From Meyer and Land (2003): "Threshold Concepts’ may be considered to be “akin to passing through a portal” or “conceptual gateway” that opens up “previously inaccessible way[s] of thinking about something”

Meyer and Land, 2003: "Our discussions with practitioners in a range of disciplinary areas have led us to conclude that a threshold concept, across a range of subject contexts, is likely to be:

Transformative, in that, once understood, its potential effect on student learning and behaviour is to occasion a significant shift in the perception of a subject, or part thereof.

Probably irreversible, in that the change of perspective occasioned by acquisition of a threshold concept is unlikely to be forgotten, or will be unlearned only by considerable effort.

Integrative; that is, it exposes the previously hidden interrelatedness of something."

Flanagan, 2020: "Examples of the threshold concept must be transformative and involve a traverse through a liminal space. They are likely to be characterised by many of, but not necessarily all of, the other features listed below:

Transformative: Once understood, a threshold concept changes the way in which the student views the discipline. - Troublesome: Threshold concepts are likely to be troublesome for the student. Perkins [1999, 2006] has suggested that knowledge can be troublesome e.g. when it is counter-intuitive, alien or seemingly incoherent.

Irreversible: Given their transformative potential, threshold concepts are also likely to be irreversible, i.e. they are difficult to unlearn.

Integrative: Threshold concepts, once learned, are likely to bring together different aspects of the subject that previously did not appear, to the student, to be related.

Bounded: A threshold concept will probably delineate a particular conceptual space, serving a specific and limited purpose.

Discursive: Meyer and Land [2] suggest that the crossing of a threshold will incorporate an enhanced and extended use of language.

Reconstitutive: "Understanding a threshold concept may entail a shift in learner subjectivity, which is implied through the transformative and discursive aspects already noted. Such reconstitution is, perhaps, more likely to be recognised initially by others, and also to take place over time (Smith)".

Liminality: Meyer and Land [4] have likened the crossing of the pedagogic threshold to a ‘rite of passage’ (drawing on the ethnographical studies of Gennep and of Turner in which a transitional or liminal space has to be traversed; “in short, there is no simple passage in learning from ‘easy’ to ‘difficult’; mastery of a threshold concept often involves messy journeys back, forth and across conceptual terrain. (Cousin [2006])”.

David Kellogg weighs in on the question, "Which 'threshold concept' of Halliday's can open portals for teachers?" (Originally published Jun 19, 2020)

0:07 - A question for David

2:05 - David tells us about "magic gateways"

5:02 - Teachers can use metafunctions to better diagnose and locate struggle

10:18 - The 3 great metafunctions of the Hallidayan system

12:44 - Demonstration: a closer look at one metafunction

Thank you, David.

Potentially of interest: http://tiny.cc/l8e1qz

Andy Blunden weighs in. (Originally published Jun 2, 2020)

Here is The Lancet's retraction: http://tiny.cc/o3tiqz

More context on the Lancet hydroxychloroquine study: http://tiny.cc/h4tiqz

Here is the paper referenced in Andy's answer: https://bit.ly/3eWif4e

One ammendment from Andy: "One error in my improvisation: The Lancet were apparently tipped off by a whistleblower, rather than by reviewers, but the link you give tells the story as seen by the Lancet. Thank you. The other thing, 'trust network' was apparently a term coined by Wikipedia in 2004 to characterise the network of expertise they have assembled to build Wikipedia. How about that, eh? And this draws attention to how social media 'reify,' or formalise trust networks, giving them stablility, which is amplifying the problem of politicisation which I mentioned. The advent of web-based news, in which the reader curates their own news, is another instance."

I am trying to understand Vygotsky's theory in a way that's easy to explain. This is harder than I had hoped. For instance, a sufficient understanding of dialectics appears to be a requirement. Here, I share helpful notes from a trusted source -- Kevin deLaplante -- with sincere thanks. (Originally published Mar 2, 2020)

About Kevin: https://kevindelaplante.com/about/

Issue: identity politics and polarization. Andy Blunden weighs in. As can you -- feel free to add a response of your own. (Originally published Feb 26, 2020)

Original source: http://tiny.cc/c5xojz

Andy Blunden addresses an interesting question from Helena Worthen. Thank you to both. (Originally published Feb 17, 2020)

So many -isms, what do they all mean? Andy Blunden offers his perspective. (Originally posted Feb 20, 2020)

Andy Blunden weighs in. (Originally published Feb 12, 2020)

Andy Blunden puts on his red shirt, evaluates Stephen Kotkin's response, and adds his own. (Originally published Feb 12, 2020)

Source footage: http://tiny.cc/nn9wjz

Andy's twitter: https://twitter.com/Andy_Blunden

Anthony's twitter: https://twitter.com/AnthonyMBarra

Andy Blunden weighs in. (Originally published Feb 11, 2020)

Andy's twitter: https://twitter.com/Andy_Blunden

Anthony's twitter: https://twitter.com/AnthonyMBarra

Andy Blunden answers . . . and then turns the question around (Originally published Feb 11, 2020)

Andy's twitter: https://twitter.com/Andy_Blunden

Anthony's twitter: https://twitter.com/AnthonyMBarra

I asked Andy Blunden for his explanation of Vygotsky's concept of the social situation of development, and here it is! Thanks, Andy. (Originally published Feb 10, 2020)

Highlights include:

0:07 - How do we get from dependent newborn to independent adult?

1:16 - development takes place through a series of 'unique' stages

2:38 - resolved 'predicaments' fuel the transition between stages

4:54 - to get new needs met, the child overthrows the former situation to establish a new role

5:54 - mutual reinforcement between development and the social situation of development

8:05 - the social situation of development, concisely defined

8:38 - a preview of perezhivanie and adult development

More from Andy here: https://www.ethicalpolitics.org/wits/vygotsky-development.pdf

The always interesting Peter Smagorinsky sits down for another wide-ranging chat. Peter is a Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Georgia with a generous internet presence. His website chronicles Peter's extensive landscaping projects, along with his voluminous academic output (and free resources for teachers). (Originally published August 4, 2020)

Highlights include:

0:27 - How's the weather?

1:52 - PART 1: RECENT INQUIRIES

4:55 - Peter's most recent book (on how teachers learn how to teach)

10:42 - Clock Time vs. Event Time

17:00 - Teacher-to-school 'matches' and 'mismatches,' cultural or otherwise

19:03 - Challenges to 'diversifying the workforce'

24:12 - Benefits, trade-offs, and advice . . .

28:27 - Read outside your field to expand imagination and perspective

31:25 - PART 2: MORE INSIGHTS TO SHARE

33:50 - All teaching is local; be wary of 'best practices'

36:37 - Fun, competitive vocabulary games

42:45 - The importance of metacognitive, generative instruction

46:02 - The need to listen and pay attention to how others are experiencing you

47:16 - Peter's next book: teaching in these times (critical inquiry, empathy, & patriotism)

53:50 - Nutpicking, masks, reason, and the willingness to listen more than talk

57:38 - Educational trends and fashions

1:01:52 - What is Constructivism?

1:09:29 - Parting shots . . .

Competitive Vocab Games: https://bit.ly/31iZkeX

Old friend Matt Marino shares his upbeat perspective on life, learning, fatherhood, and success. Recorded on an early Sunday morning, August 2020. (Originally published August 2, 2020)

Highlights include:

0:35 - Where's Matt headed?

3:22 - Dinner is Important

5:32 - Living an unfiltered life

9:24 - Kids and Covid

11:36 - Tips on slowing down

18:38 - Keeping kids busy

22:00 - Structure, coherence, and success

27:10 - Dark thoughts, laughter, and heart surgery

37:04 - Matt's interesting job and mental approach

43:21 - Mentorship at Amazon

47:02 - A first-person approach to recruiting

48:10 - Formative work experience and 9/11

53:30 - Recruiting is matchmaking (and Amazon's 14 leadership principles)

59:38 - Developmental leaps and the benefits of listening

1:07:04 - Life is funny 1:09:30 - Matt and podcasting

Matt's professional page: http://tiny.cc/l8amsz

Amazon's 14 leadership principles: http://tiny.cc/l8amsz

Interesting backstory, Amazon Prime: http://tiny.cc/n8amsz

Eric has worn many hats: experimental songwriter, programmer, journalist, environmental analyst, family man, amateur cook, conversationalist, and more. How do these complementary talents fit together? In spite of our 20+ year acquaintance, this was our first real face-to-face conversation. (Originally published March 1, 2020)

Highlights include:

1:00 - Two questions from Vivienne

2:21 - Eric's unique life in the UK; family stuff, job stuff ("I am a programmer.")

7:00 - Eric's hobby: 'news-analysis' programming

8:11 - A question from Madeleine on the topic of food

12:23 - How do Programmers name their children?

15:11 - Is Eric "out" as an experimental musician?

16:33 - Spontaneous songwriting, and the benefits of self-imposed constraints

19:22 - Eric's antidote for anxiety and thoughts on creativity ("a skill that you can learn")

23:35 - Coding as a kind of songwriting

26:04 - Eric's experimental programming work with "news analysis"

34:46 - Eric's personal backstory and interest in media narratives -- a wild, international story

41:04 - Working as a reporter in D.C. ("I know how the sausage is made.")

44:13 - Definitions of the word "narrative"

48:02 - Navigating 'grey areas' (facts, fictions, and factual fictions)

49:07 - Harms and non-harms of Trump's BS

1:00:35 - "The kids today"

1:03:33 - "The View from an AI" (alien, or artificial, intelligence) -- analyzing human genres

1:07:48 - Won't A.I.'s master even the fine arts (emotions included)?

1:10:09 - Which genre are WE in, Eric? (We're not programmed, right?)

Eric's twitter: https://twitter.com/ericness

More on Eric's blogging: http://tiny.cc/1vuokz

Russell conjugation: http://tiny.cc/xdkpkz

Part 2 of 2 -- Professor Nikolai Veresov presents research examples for each of the 5 experimental research principles of Vygotsky's Genetic Research Methodology (GRM). In order to solve puzzles once thought unsolvable, Vygotsky managed to devise a theory (Cultural-historical theory) and a new research method (GRM) to complement the theory. This exclusive episode is appropriate for all researchers - and educators - with serious interest in Vygotsky's ideas. (Originally published June 13, 2020)

Please enjoy:

0:14 - Brief introduction

0:30 - Principle 1 - Research example (Minson et al, 2016) - paper here: http://tiny.cc/5a3vnz

7:00 - Principle 2 - Two ways of using this principle 9:25 - Principle 2 - How does Nikolai uses this principle as a psychologist?

10:54 - Principle 2 - Research example #1 (Fleer et al, 2019) - paper here: http://tiny.cc/g73liz

14:32 - Principle 2 - Research example #2 (Nasciutti et al, 2016) - paper here: http://tiny.cc/dq1vnz

20:15 - Principle 3 - Research example #1 (Ashraf, 2018) - paper here: http://tiny.cc/ho1vnz

25:45 - Principle 3 - Research example #2 (van Oers, 2013) - paper here: http://tiny.cc/mv1vnz

29:24 - Principle 4 - Research example #1 (Nourkova, 2016) - paper here: http://tiny.cc/u62vnz

31:24 - Principle 4 - Research example #2 (Minson et al, 2016) - paper here: http://tiny.cc/5a3vnz

36:04 - Principle 5 - How to use the principle of sustainable neoformations

Part 1 is located here: http://tiny.cc/gf7qqz

The original sources for all clips are located here: http://tiny.cc/db8qqz

This exclusive episode is appropriate for all researchers - and educators - with serious interest in Vygotsky's ideas. Vygotskian psychologist Nikolai Veresov introduces and discusses the 5 experimental research principles of Vygotsky's Genetic Research Methodology (GRM). In order to solve puzzles once thought unsolvable, Vygotsky managed to devise a theory (Cultural-historical theory) and a new research method (GRM) to pair with the theory. This video is Part 1 of 2. Part 2 will discuss specific experiments that have been conducted with these methodological principles. (Originally published June 13, 2020)

Please enjoy:

0:15 - Brief introduction

0:43 - What does it mean to conduct a Vygotskian experiment?

2:21 - Who is the target audience here?

3:44 - What is different about this Vygotskian research method?

4:45 - How do the 5 research principles relate to the theory itself?

7:02 - Principle 1 - How to find the 'buds of development'

11:32 - Principle 1 - Where are the buds?

14:11 - Principle 2 - How does this 'principle of drama' work?

18:09 - Principle 2 - Will any type of drama do?

19:37 - Principle 2 - Why is this experimental research principle so important?

23:35 - Principle 2 - How and why to apply the principle of drama

28:23 - Principle 3 - How does this 'principle of real and ideal forms' work?

30:36 - Principle 3 - A simple illustration from Vygotsky

38:49 - Principle 3 - Two main considerations when designing research with Principle 3

41:07 - Principle 4 - Why is this 'principle of developmental tools' so important?

42:42 - Principle 4 - Vygotsky's law of 4 stages of every higher psychological function's development

45:35 - Principle 4 - How does principle support research (and learning)?

47:56 - Principle 4 - What sorts of research questions does Principle 4 address?

50:56 - Principle 5 - Important context: Vygotsky's method was new by necessity

53:53 - Principle 5 - Are all changes sustainable "neoformations"?

57:44 - Principle 5 - How does this 'principle of sustainable results' keep us humble?

1:00:16 - Principle 5 - How can we use this principle in experimental studies?

1:04:23 - Reflection - Are most researchers who cite Vygotsky using these 5 principles?

Part 2 is here: http://tiny.cc/q29qqz

The original sources for all clips are located here: http://tiny.cc/db8qqz

Some interesting paragraphs from Thinking & Speech, Ch. 6, pp. 169-70 (Originally published July 26, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/4nylsz)

I am trying to understand Vygotsky's theory in a way that's easy to explain. This is harder than I had hoped. For instance, a sufficient understanding of dialectics appears to be a requirement. Here, I share helpful notes from a trusted source -- Kevin deLaplante -- with sincere thanks. (Originally published March 2, 2020 at http://tiny.cc/4nylsz)

About Kevin: https://www.argumentninja.com/about

The principle of sustainable results, or "neoformations," serves many functions, including keeping us humble. What is the difference between additive and developmental change? What are "qualitative reorganizations"? How essential was "dialectical logic" to Vygotsky's breakthroughs, and what role should it play in Vygotskian research? Chat 5 with Vygotskian psychologist Nikolai Veresov, who weighs in on these topics and cautions against undervaluing them. (Originally published Jun 13, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

0:31 - The circumstances that led to Vygotsky's breakthrough

6:45 - Vygotsky's paradigm shift from formal logic to dialectical logic

14:04 - What does "qualitative reorganization" mean?

18:51 - Are all changes an indication of development? ("differentiation")

24:54 - Transformation: Transformers and Terminators

31:47 - The artificial intelligence of machines and people

39:26 - Humanity is the thing; Nikolai's lament on the drying up of cultural resources

47:28 - Vygotsky's method and his theory go together, and belong together

56:01 - Why the humility of Principle 5 is so important

58:25 - The dangers of 'overselling' the importance of the social & 'destroying the buds' with pseudoconcepts

1:00:59 - Can the development of scientific concepts (scientific thinking) be rushed?

1:06:20 - How can we use Principle 5 in research and in classrooms?

1:15:16 - Challenges and benefits of using these five principles

1:25:42 - Principle 5 (neoformations) as the 'humility principle'

1:29:54 - Neoformations are reorganized systems, not just transformations or 'something new'

1:34:43 - The importance of longevity and transfer

1:37:33 - Will there be bridge-building with Nikolai's critics?

1:40:30 - Demonstration: scientific concepts are systems of concepts

5 Principles for Vygotskian Research: http://tiny.cc/1fisqz

Nikolai and I continue chatting about GRM, the "genetic research methodology" that unifies Vygotsky's Cultural-historical theory. GRM is the experimental side; CHT is the theoretical side. This is chat 4. (Originally published April 21, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

0:58 - Nikolai discusses his new book (translation of Vygotsky's late lectures for teachers)

6:01 - How many laws did Vygotsky discover? 11:20 - Our goals for today - Conducting a Vygotskian Experiment (Principle 4)

12:30 - Nikolai's role in identifying the 5 Principles of Genetic Research Method

14:42 - Why this experimental principle is important

15:01 - Relation between Principle 4 (experimental principle) and Mediation (theoretical principle)

20:31 - Two types of mediators: physical tools and psychological tools (i.e., signs)

24:48 - The principle of signification distinguishes human from other types of development

28:14 - Who mediates? (as opposed to What mediates?)

32:10 - Interdependence of social interaction and mediation

34:48 - Signification vs signalization: Vygotsky's departure from Pavlov (speech is not a 'second signal system')

40:24 - Is a genre synonymous with a sign or family of signs?

42:46 - Veronika Nourkova's research on the development of memory

44:43 - How is the Principle of Developmental Tools related to the rest of Cultural-historical Theory?

50:20 - Vygotsky's neglected "most important" law of cultural development: The Law of 4 Stages

1:00:24 - HPFs develop at different rates -- law of 'de-synchronicity'

1:05:37 - The importance of Principle 4 as an experimenter and researcher

1:08:29 - What is universal about human psychological development?

1:11:11 - How the law of 4 stages can support research - e.g., Minson study

1:15:16 - Some examples of how (uniquely human) cultural memory works

1:21:27 - Importance for teachers -- very interesting! 1:25:48 - When Nikolai was young . . . and always late

1:28:59 - Which kinds of research questions can be answered with Principle 4?

1:31:56 - Are there ways to identify students' differing rates of HPF development?

1:34:29 - A favorite joke about motivation 1:39:09 - Which HPFs are in action in certain academic tasks?

References:

L. S. Vygotsky's Pedological Works, Vol. 1 Foundations of Pedology - http://tiny.cc/vtlhnz

Tools of the Mind - https://toolsofthemind.org/about/history/

"Refocusing the Lens of Development: Towards Genetic Research Methodology" - http://tiny.cc/wflhnz

Looking to rethink, retool, or redesign your teaching? Michael W. Smith excels at making learning challenging, meaningful, and fun. I know this from personal experience. (Originally published April 17, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

1:07 - What jumps to mind when I think of Michael Smith

2:26 - Michael's current work: Essential Question-driven urban, college-prep focused

5:52 - The clever use Semantic Differential Scales as a motivating "easy in"

9:18 - Initiating students into academic "communities of practice"

12:36 - Using Simulated Texts as case-study data (and a great personal story)

17:35 - The merits of Inquiry and Environmental Instruction (a Hillocksian approach)

19:11 - Incentives to write your own simulated texts

23:55 - The Inquiry Square -- a great way to re-tool or revise your teaching

32:49 - "Argument" in the classroom vs. argument in the world ("rational" dojo vs "persuasive" street)

39:57 - "Bad teaching I have done" -- revisiting the Inquiry Square

42:52 - "The heart of the matter" -- Michael's breakthrough and the inquiry square's role in it (Catcher in the Rye "Simulation Games")

53:09 - How about the role of function?

56:30 - Salience! Levels and Dimensions of Setting (and 'Setting as rule-setting')

1:04:00 - The unity and interplay of literary elements (setting, character, conflict, theme)

1:09:01 - Reading people (real and fictional) - revising gut impressions

References of interest:

Some of Michael's books - http://tiny.cc/7k08mz

"Remembering George Hillocks, Jr. 1934-2014" - http://tiny.cc/ha08mz

"Teaching Writing to Adolescents" - http://tiny.cc/wz08mz

"Why Rational Persuasion is a Martial Art" - http://tiny.cc/jh08mz

Chat 3 with Nikolai Veresov, who presents a heuristic toolset for Vygotskian research that is flexible and customizable to a range of settings. This is part 2. (Originally published February 14, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

0:30 - What kind of theory is this? How is it possible to collect data that shows the "Hidden process" of development? Is this the most important and most difficult challenge in psychology?

4:05 - Vygotsky had to invent a new method of research (GRM) -- a new method of data collection and data analysis (the Genetic Research Method, or Experimental Genetic Method)

8:31 - Potential problems in the traditional research method

9:44 - How Good Is Your Memory? A demonstration of Biological vs Cultural memory (and the effect of cultural tools on higher mental functions)

15:58 - Vygotsky's warning on mistakenly comparing apples to oranges (or worse, fruits to boots)

20:30 - Strengths of the traditional method

23:03 - What does it mean to conduct Vygotskian experiment?

24:47 - How to find the Buds of Development (Principle 1)

29:23 - Nikolai discusses Minson's use of Principle 1 to aid children's storytelling

36:35 - How and why to apply the Principle of Drama (Principle 2)

46:10 - Introduction to Principle 3 - explanation of the concept and advice for researchers

57:46 - What if the ideal form is present and interacting but very painful? (the role of pleasure or pain)

58:57 - A Principle 3 research design requires two tasks: provide the most efficient ideal forms and ask what are the most efficient ways of interacting with the child and the forms (very teacher-friendly) 1:01:12 - Key distinctions between language and speech (discussion of Ashraf's use of Principle 3)

1:06:34 - Using role-play to fuel the interaction of ideal and present forms (Bert van Oers research)

1:08:57 - The benefits and importance of research alignment (theory, methods, collection, analysis, etc)

This video is a continuation of our previous conversation, located here: http://tiny.cc/75y0jz

References:

Victoria Minson on https://psyjournals.ru/en/kip/2016/n3/minson.shtml

Tanzin Ara Ashraf on second language speech development: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325180210_Teaching_English_as_a_Foreign_Language_in_Saudi_Arabia_Struggles_and_Strategies

Bert van Oers on role-play as fuel for the interaction of ideal and real forms: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1350293X.2013.789199 Enjoy ~ https://twitter.com/cvoelter/status/1153932664925298693

Chat 3 with Nikolai Veresov, who provides a range of ways to understand dialectics -- and its role in explaining the relationship between lower and higher mental functions. (Originally published February 15, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

0:30 - What does 'Hegelian method' mean?

3:30 - Dialectics as a kind of predictive logic, and a discussion of 'quantitative change' sparking 'qualitative leaps'

7:00 - Mechanical systems vs. Organical systems

9:10 - What does "qualitative reorganizations" mean?

10:15 - Dialectics as a "philosophical method of thinking about organical systems given that they are always in the Process of Development" (Being and Becoming)

12:05 - Vygotsky discovered how to indirectly apply this philosophical method to psychology

13:45 - How original was Vygotsky's breakthrough?

16:46 - How are lower and higher mental functions (LMF/HMF) related to each other?

19:00 - An example: the development of voluntary ("or cultural") attention

23:15 - Possible ways to help HMFs develop

26:00 - Are social relations a type of quantitative "heat" that qualitatively changes the "water"?

The second part of this conversation is here: http://tiny.cc/g9c8jz

References:

"The transition from quantity to quality: A neglected causal mechanism in accounting for social evolution" - https://www.pnas.org/content/97/23/12926

“Higher mental functions are not built on top of elementary processes, like some kind of second storey, but are new psychological systems comprising a complex nexus of elementary functions that, as part of a new system, being themselves to act in accordance with new laws” Vygotsky, L.S. (1984). Sobraniye sochinenii, Vol. 6, p.58

On the topic of education, Peter Smagorinsky has likely WRITTEN more words than I have read. Though long, our conversation was not linear, and listening out of order might be the ideal way to go. (Originally published January 20, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

1:00 - After 31 years, is Peter an expert?

3:19 - Anthony most certainly is not (feel free to skip to 9:22)

9:22 - Peter uniquely describes higher and lower mental functions

13:45 - Challenges of reading Vygotsky and studying 'murky' social concepts

17:10 - Why isn't there scientific agreement on 'good teaching'?

21:58 - Where would Peter locate himself on the purist to pragmatist spectrum?

26:56 - The difference between 'scaffolding' and ZPD -- and ZND!

32:43 - Learning how to write like a scholar - and like a public columnist

34:32 - The emotional confidence needed to write simply

36:40 - Advice for teaching short-term and long-term simultaneously

41:42 - Vygotsky's "great overlooked work" & the topic of 'deficit thinking'

44:55 - Disastrous utopianism and equalitarian blindspots

48:05 - Was Vygotsky more interested in how thinking develops or in how to develop thinking?

50:21 - Distinguishing the unsavory from the useful (includes a bit on perspective-hopping)

1:00:33 - What does Vygotsky have to offer teachers? (Peter's unique take)

1:11:55 - (Vygotskian) frameworks and methodologies for Peter's research

1:22:23 - Why do 5-paragraph papers get a bad rap?

1:25:00 - Rounding out Peter's methodology (telos, setting, and tools is "a way to do it")

1:28:32 - MLK, Vygotsky, nonviolence, and violence

1:34:32 - The development of individuals and the development of collectives

1:38:36 - A.I. and Vygotsky

1:41:25 - Peter recommends . . .

References: "Smagorinsky on Meaning - Text, Tool, Culture" (Excerpt) - http://tiny.cc/gbvkjz

"What Does Vygotsky Provide for the 21st-Century Language Arts Teacher?" - http://www.petersmagorinsky.net/About/PDF/LA/LA2013.pdf

Peter's public essays - http://www.petersmagorinsky.net/Vita/vitaweb.htm#PublicEssays

"Educating the Public on the Public's Terms: An Open Letter to Academics" - https://writerswhocare.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/educating-the-public-on-the-publics-terms-an-open-letter-to-academics/

Chat 2 with Nikolai Veresov, continued. (Originally published Jan 10, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

1:00 - Nikolai's own role in clarifying Vygotsky's research contributions

5:00 - Should Conservatives be wary of this theory?

8:55 - Why was this theory created; what is its subject matter? (the importance of contextualizing the theory, and how it is distinct)

15:21 - The Why: 5 principles for conducting Vygotskian experiments (Nikolai's rationale)

21:32 - The What: 5 principles for conducting Vygotskian experiments (Crucial distinction: "We do not have objects under study; we do not have functions under study; we have PROCESSES under study")

25:03 - The Which: 5 principles for conducting Vygotskian experiments ("I select the principle that helps me to answer my research question")

30:50 - To what extent was Vygotsky susceptible to motivated reasoning and/or confirmation bias?

32:45 - The principle of drama (or category, or contradiction)

39:20 - Nikolai and colleagues' research studies using the principle of drama (includes the long quote cited below)

44:10 - A Vygotskian experiment with children: "the process of development of children's executive functions in the playworld" (paper here: http://tiny.cc/g73liz)

47:46 - A Vygotskian experiment with adults: "a new system of professional development for school psychologists" (paper here: http://tiny.cc/lh4liz)

53:45 - The principle of the "buds" of development

"What makes us different is that we went through different contradictions, collisions, challenges. As a psychologist, I'm interested in situations where we can specially create these dramatic collisions - for children and for adults - and then we look: Do they have enough higher psychological functions to overcome this? If they can not, how they can begin to interact with others in order to drink from this source of development -- because Vygotsky said that social environment is the source of development. But what does it mean, 'social environment is the source of development?' What does it mean that the river is the source of the water? The river is the source of the water only when somebody comes to the river and starts drinking from it. "

For more on the 5 principles:

http://nveresov.narod.ru/KIP.pdf - Nikolai's paper, "Introducing cultural historical theory: main concepts and principles of genetic research methodology"

http://tiny.cc/0oe4hz - my short article, "How to Use a Vygotskian Approach: a short guide for teachers & researchers"

Chat 2 with Vygotskian psychologist, Nikolai Veresov. (Originally published Jan 10, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

1:52 - The great puzzle of Vygotsky's time (The "Crisis of Psychology")

6:30 - Even Kant thought the crisis was unsolvable

9:22 - How to see the invisible (W. Wundt's experimental research challenge & discussion of Lower and Higher Psychological Functions, e.g., logical memory, voluntary attention, imagination)

19:50 - Why did Wundt separate LPF and HPF, and how did he study HPF?

22:43 - Vygotsky's main contribution (not just theory but new method)

Key point: when something is currently invisible, or inaccessible, (e.g., HPFs), see if you can go back to its infancy and track its development before it "disappears underground"

http://nveresov.narod.ru/KIP.pdf - see Nikolai's paper, "Introducing cultural historical theory: main concepts and principles of genetic research methodology"

This is the first of a series of chats with Vygotskian psychologist, Nikolai Veresov, who discusses the enduring relevance and popularity of Vygotsky's work, distinctions between learning and development, continuing misconceptions of ZPD, the value of cultivating difficulty, and key principles for conducting Vygotskian experiments. (Originally published Jan 10, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

1:04 - Our target audience & our main goals

2:01 - The enduring relevance of Vygotsky's theory -- and the challenge of understanding it accurately

6:49 - Huge interest in the theory is developing outside of academia

9:55 - "Vygotsky discovered the fundamental laws of the cultural development the human being"

11:37 - Learning vs. Development (not all learning is developmental)

18:27 - ZPD is only one, and not the main, concept of cultural-historical theory

22:49 - Is this a blank slate theory, or something else?

26:28 - We can't understand zone of proximal Development until we understand Development

27:26 - "ZPD as a concept, used everywhere, is a victim of misunderstanding"

36:00 - Are our objectives merely Task-oriented or Developmentally-oriented?

43:04 - 5 Principles for Designing and Conducting a Vygotskian Experiment

55:44 - Principle 2: the necessity of Drama, Collision, Contradiction (V's General Law)

1:00:56 - How Vygotsky applied dialectics to psychology (no development without contradiction)

1:07:38 - Advice for teachers: Cultivate Frustration, Create Small Crises, Help Find Solutions

1:10:11 - Relationship between personal dramas & personal values

1:15:33 - Is the Trump era a collective drama, or category? Collective development?

Dog playing Jenga: http://tiny.cc/ul55hz

Referenced sources: "How to Use a Vygotskian Approach: a short guide for teachers & researchers" (Barra 2019) - http://tiny.cc/0oe4hz

"Nikolai Veresov’s video-lecture, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan" (Veresov 2010) - http://tiny.cc/hse4hz

"Reading 'Thinking and Speech' (Vygotsky)" (Veresov 2010)- http://tiny.cc/0re4hz

“Zone of proximal development (ZPD): the hidden dimension?” (Veresov 2004) - http://tiny.cc/sse4hz

"The zone of proximal development in Vygotsky’s analysis of learning and instruction" (Chaiklin 2003) - http://tiny.cc/d315hz

Jan. 27, 2012 interview on Vygotsky's theory of concepts with Andy Blunden, author of Concepts, A Critical Approach (available here: brill.nl/concepts). Part 2/2: Andy discusses the development of true concepts, covering topics such as word meaning & definitions, artifacts & actions, social knowledge, ideal lines of development, spontaneous & scientific concepts, and flowers & freeways. (Originally published at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

1:00 - "The first thing to get straight is that Vygotsky does not have a typology of concepts"

2:36 - Two lines of development: spontaneous and scientific concepts

7:28 - "Fundamentally, concepts are transmitters or containers or expressions or forms, whatever you like, of the wisdom of many generations...passed down through the generations by various means"

8:47 - Concepts are problems and solutions to those problems are encapsulated in a word and the systems of practice around that word, and possibly also in an artifact of some kind

12:08 - "A true concept has to incorporate that element of the transmission of socially, historically acquired knowledge."

15:58 - "Origin, path of development: one begins from book knowledge, the other begins from immediate personal interaction; any actual concept has its roots in both"

18:03 - "Everyday life is penetrated by knowledge that comes out of institutions"

20:27 - A concept is like a city...is a many sided thing, and it's realized in many ways

23:57 - "A concept is like a cloud, and word-meanings rain from this cloud" 26:11 - The relationship between the words 'flower' and 'rose'

29:56 - Romance and problem-solving ("ordinary, everyday people are becoming aficionados of the social sciences")

33:38 - "True" concepts - what is true about a concept is inaccessible through "spontaneous" alone

37:56 - "Vygotsky was an original thinker; the words didn't exist for what he was trying to say"

40:19 - "A unit of life -- a unit of a culture to be more specific -- is a concept, and more specifically it's a solved puzzle; it's the identification of a problem which arose in a specific way of life, and the naming of it, and the institution of a series of related practices organized around that solution. So that's what a concept it."

44:30 - "In the capacity of a teacher, V knew that real conceptual knowledge can only be acquired when it's the means to the solution to a problem"

49:49 - A compelling challenge for teachers: designing relevant instruction with Concept Development in mind (i.e., concepts as solutions to compelling problem)

"That's what a concept is: it's the identification of a problem and a solution that goes with it (or the solution and the problem that goes with it) within a specific system of practice, or institution -- because if you don't have some system of practice then problems never arise, because people just do something else."

References:

Paula Towsey on the Blocks Experiment: http://tiny.cc/ewb9hz

Andy Blunden's vimeo channel: http://tiny.cc/q2b9hz

CHAT on Vimeo: http://tiny.cc/z0b9hz

Peter Smagorinsky speaks about his concrete and abstract understandings of and experiences with Vygotsky's theory of concepts. (Recorded January 2012 and published Jan 3, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

0:31 - challenges (and rewards) of reading Vygotsky without the benefit of mentors

5:00 - many topics are at play re: Vygotsky and concepts

5:48 - why Peter is interested in concepts (as an Educator and a Landscaper)

7:33 - difficult concepts are rarely learned without a cost (plants and otherwise)

10:00 - concepts of good teaching are hard to pin down (social world is less cut & dry than biological)

14:40 - spontaneous vs scientific concepts aren't so neatly divided

19:30 - sturdy concepts are produced by the interplay between experiential & formal knowledge

22:38 - studying how concepts develop: twisting path or twisting pretzel?

37:37 - the link between concepts & happiness (the roles of affect and metaexperience)

46:30 - failure, perseverance, and concepts

50:31 - word-meaning and concepts

58:09 - Vygotsky, concepts, and death

Peter's book, VYGOTSKY AND LITERACY RESEARCH: A METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK, winner of the prestigious David H. Russell Research Award, can be found here: sensepublishers.com/catalogs/bookseries/practice-of-research-method/vygotsky-and-literacy-research/

2012 interview with Andy Blunden on the real preconditions for independent thinking! (The sound quality is old.) In this video, Andy discusses "pre-conceptual" processes of psychological development, including syncretic, complexive, and pseudoconceptual thinking, as well as pre- and potential concepts. (Originally published December 29, 2019 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

0:15 - Syncretic thought-forms (the view from a speeding train in a foreign country)

3:35 - Complexes (different types of shaky beginnings of synthesis, via associations, and abstraction)

12:29 - Collection complexes (fork, knife, cup - functional associations by everyday situations)

14:55 - Pseudconcepts (learner uses an adult word, but not in the same way) 19:31 - Potential concepts (animals can form potential concepts; e.g., trained pigeon habituated to red button)

23:27 - Pre-concepts and more

30:00 - Andy nicely summarizes the psychological functions that correlate with preconceptual thinking

Andy Blunden is the author of Concepts, A Critical Approach (available here: brill.nl/concepts). This is the first of two interviews on Vygotsky's theory of concepts (Part 2 is here: https://youtu.be/7UsQRLCpdiw, or here: vimeo.com/35819238).

Great quote: this chat is about "the development of psychological functions which are preconditions to operating as an independent person out there in the social world: dealing with ideology, professional responsibilities, raising your own family, and so on. You need certain psychological functions s before you can even make a beginning on that. . . . When you go into the big wide world...you begin to learn a different much broader type of thinking which entails inheriting and making use of the knowledge of all the past generations."

An open invitation to anyone willing to enlighten me. (Originally published February 20, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

What the heck does this mean?

"[A better understanding of child psychology is possible] . . . only if we radically change our representation of child development and take into account that it is a complex dialectical process that is characterized by a complex periodicity, disproportion in the development of separate functions, metamorphoses or qualitative transformation of certain forms into others, a complex merging of the processes of evolution and involution, a complex crossing of external and internal factors, a complex process of overcoming difﬁculties and adapting" (Vygotsky 1997, Vol 4. pp. 98–99)

Thanks!