Stop, go back, re-read, and repeat is the process I used that best encapsulates my experience reading the scholarly article Mind in Society -The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Ironically, I had to develop a process to read about a process. With that said, my reflection of the article is what I was able to infer from those things I believe I understood, and also how I can then use the information in lesson planning and strategies in the classroom.
I was intrigued by the methodology of the research in respect to the various studies referenced in the article; some of which included studies by: Vygotsky, Marx, Pavlov, Wertsch and Lewin. It seemed to me that although the methodologies of the studies varied and were disputed, to some extent, the conclusions however, coincided and were intertwined. I think I can best show this with a simple summary of the basic tenets of the theories below:
Vgotsky: The mechanism of individual change is rooted in society and culture
Marx: Historical changes in society and material life produce changes in human nature (consciousness and behavior)
Lewin: Behavior of an individual is always geared toward some goal or objective and it is precisely this intention that matters most in the performance of behavior
Pavlov: Two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response
Wertsch: Human mental functioning is inherently situated in social interaction, cultural, institutional, and historical context
What I came to conclude, is that there is a relationship between our biological instincts (elementary processes) and sociocultural origin (higher functions). “Observations show that between the initial level (elementary behavior) and the high levels (mediated forms of behavior) many transitional systems lie between the biologically given and the culturally acquired.” (p.46) In this context then, we can use curriculums and activities in the classroom that encompass what children can do on their own, as well as, what they can learn from others. Such a curriculum would encompass activities that incorporate group work, cooperative learning, and planned activities with groups of children at different levels.
Moreover, having students explain their thought processes out loud and not offering too much help reflect strategies that correlate with Vygotsky’s Theory. Also in correlation with theory is the AST framework of instruction and recent discussions about Progressive Discourse. I think that the norms we establish inside the classroom are rooted in society and the culture we wish to create for learning. Therefore, an understanding of individual capabilities inside the cultural classroom of the school’s society will foster adult guidance and learning from each other.
I started this exercise by a process which involved starting, stopping, repeating, and re-reading. I believe these are elementary behaviors. My higher levels of behavior in this exercise was what you just read which involves cooperative learning (Vygostky Theory). My objective was to make sense of it all and complete the assignment (Lewin Theroy). All in all, there was a lot to unpack from this reading and I am not confident that I correctly conceptualized all the ideas that were discussed.