Publisher Description

The Transformation of Learning gives an overview of some significant advances of the cultural-historical activity theory, also known as CHAT in the educational domain. Developments are described with respect to both the theoretical framework and research. The book's main focus is on the evolution of the learning concept and school practices under the influence of cultural-historical activity theory. Activity theory has contributed to this transformation of views on learning, both conceptually and practically. It has provided us with a useful approach to the understanding of learning in cultural contexts.

Author Biography

Bert van Oers is a Professor of the Cultural-Historical Theory of Education at VU University in Amsterdam. He is an honorary doctor at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland. He has published two books in English: Narratives of Childhood and Symbolizing and Modeling in Mathematics Education. His work has been published in many journals, including Learning and Instruction, the Journal of the Learning Sciences, the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal and Mind, Culture, and Activity. Wim Wardekker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theory and Research in Education at VU University in Amsterdam, and he is a Professor of Quality of Education at Windesheim University of Professional Studies in Zwolle, The Netherlands. His work has been published in journals such as the Educational Review, Mind, Culture, and Activity and the Journal of Moral Education. Ed Elbers is Professor of Communication, Cognition, and Culture at Utrecht University. His research is on communication processes in the context of learning and instruction, particularly in multiethnic classrooms. He was guest editor of Learning and Instruction and the European Journal of Psychology of Education, and he is the author of many articles and book chapters. René van der Veer is Casimir Professor of the History of Education at Leiden University. He has published widely on the history of developmental psychology and education. Among the books he has coauthored are Main Currents of Critical Psychology, Understanding Vygotsky, The Vygotsky Reader, Reconstructing the Mind, The Social Mind and Lev Vygotsky.

Table of Contents

1. Learning and learning theory from a cultural-historical point of view Bert van Oers; Part I. Tenets of Activity Theory: Introduction to Part I. Exploring Vygotsky's legacy: the meaning of mediation René van der Veer; 2. Multiple readings of Vygotsky René van der Veer; 3. Exploring the links between external and internal activity from a cultural-historical perspective Igor Arievich; 4. Reflections on points of departure in the development of sociocultural and activity theory Harry Daniels; 5. Language in cultural-historical perspective Peter E. Jones; 6. The formation experiment in the age of hypermedia and distance learning Hartmut Giest; 7. Constructivism and meaning construction Ronald Arendt; 8. Subject, subjectivity, and development in cultural-historical psychology Fernando Luis González Rey; Part II. Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Introduction to Part II. Identity, diversity, and inclusion Wim Wardekker; 9. Identity shifts in informal learning trajectories Anne Edwards and Lin Mackenzie; 10. No human being is illegal: counteridentities in a community of undocumented Mexican immigrants and children Jocelyn Solis; 11. Cultural identity and emigration: a study of the construction of discourse about identity from historical-cultural psychology Beatriz Macías Gómez Estern, Josué García Amián and José Antonio Sánchez Medina; 12. Diversity in the construction of modes of collaboration in multiethnic classrooms: continuity and discontinuity of cultural scripts Mariëtte de Haan and Ed Elbers; 13. 'Discourse' in cultural-historical perspective: critical discourse analysis, CHAT, and the study of social change Chik Collins; 14. Reason and dialogue in education Rupert Wegerif; Part III. Dynamics of Activity and the Variations of Learning: Introduction to Part III. Learning in social settings: challenges for sociocultural and activity theory Ed Elbers; 15. Children's learning through participation in institutional practice: a model from the perspective of cultural-historical psychology Mariane Hedegaard; 16. Dialogue for reasoning: promoting exploratory talk and problem solving in the primary classroom Sylvia Rojas-Drummond, Laura Gómez and Maricela Vélez; 17. What kinds of tools and resources are made available to students through effective guidance in a student-scientist partnership program? Jrène Rahm, Wendy Naughton and John C. Moore; 18. Girls on the sidelines: 'gendered' development in early childhood classrooms Sonja de Groot Kim; 19. Inscripting predicates: dealing with meanings in play Bert van Oers; 20. Pretend play and preschoolers Ricardo Ottoni Vaz Japiassu.

Promotional

This book presents a theory of learning in cultural and historical contexts.

Promotional "Headline"

This book presents a theory of learning in cultural and historical contexts.

Description for Bookstore

The Transformation of Learning gives an overview of some significant advances of the cultural-historical activity theory. The book's main focus is on the evolution of the learning concept and school practices under the influence of cultural-historical activity theory.

Description for Library

The Transformation of Learning gives an overview of some significant advances of the cultural-historical activity theory. The book's main focus is on the evolution of the learning concept and school practices under the influence of cultural-historical activity theory.

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