Bert van Oers

FROM CONTEXT TO CONTEXTUALIZING

Abstract Although context is rapidly becoming one of the core concepts in modern educational thinking, this notion still remains ill-defined in literature. This article aims at contributing to the definition of the notion of context and examining its value for research and development of educational praxes. The article starts out from a general conception of context, identifying its basic intentions as particularization of meaning and providing for coherence. In this article the activity approach to context is explored more particularly. It is argued here that one consequence from this approach is, that context should be conceived of dynamically, i.e. in terms of context-making (contextualizing). Reasoning from this activity approach, several new research questions arise.

A Vygotskian perspective on teacher education

Contemporary teacher education demonstrates the continued use of competency‐based, personality‐based and inquiry‐based approaches. These approaches are commonly regarded as representing alternative paradigms for designing curriculum and pedagogy. From a Vygotskian perspective, characterized by the use of bridging concepts relating individual functioning and personal development to sociocultural process and setting, these approaches may serve to provide elements for a more comprehensive paradigm of professional development. Drawing on Vygotskian theory, a teacher‐education environment offers support to trainee teachers for developing a professional identity. A central element is that trainees explore the practice of teaching for its underlying public meanings and as these meaning relate to their own structures of personal meanings. Such an exploration involves the shaping and testing of personally‐meaningful action in professional practice. Commitment to meanings found to be valid and practicable constitutes the core of professional identity. The task students face in developing professional identity on the basis of an assignment of meaning to teaching needs an appropriate teacher‐education environment. These conditions are worked out from a Vygotskian perspective on professional development.

Educational forms of initiation in mathematical culture

A review of literature shows that during the history of mathematics education at school the answer of what counts as ‘real mathematics’ varies. An argument will be given here that defines as ‘real mathematics’ any activity of participating in a mathematical practice. The acknowledgement of the discursive nature of school practices requires an indepth analysis of the notion of classroom discourse. For a further analysis of this problem Bakhtin’s notion of speech genre is used. The genre particularly functions as a means for the interlocutors for evaluating utterances as a legitimate part of an ongoing mathematical discourse. The notion of speech genre brings a cultural historical dimension in the discourse that is supposed to be acted out by the teacher who demonstrates the tools, rules, and norms that are passed on by a mathematical community. This has several consequences for the role of the teacher. His or her mathematical attitude acts out tendencies emerging from the history of the mathematical community (like systemacy, non-contradiction etc.) that subsequently can be imitated and appropriated by pupils in a discourse. Mathematical attitude is the link between the cultural historical dimension of mathematical practices and individual mathematical thinking.

Are you sure? The promotion of mathematical thinking in the play activities of young children

SUMMARY This article deals with some questions related to the promotion of cultural learning processes in younger children (4–7 years old). In the study here reported, the promotion of mathematical activity was taken as the domain of study. Reasoning from a Vygotskian point of view, it was assumed that these learning processes should be embedded in the play activity of these children, and that these learning processes could be based on the childrens ways of dealing with symbols/symbolic representations and meanings. In this observational study (according to case study methodology) we tried to find out which teaching opportunities occur within a role play activity that could be considered valuable for the improvement of mathematical thinking activity. Furthermore, we tried to investigate in detail if mathematics-bound semiotic activity can be triggered within the play context by asking children if they were sure about their mathematical actions, and about the meanings and symbols they used. These queries ...

Semiotic activity of young children in play: The construction and use of schematic representations

SUMMARY The theory and research described in this article is based on the Vygotskian approach to human development. As this theory suggests, the promotion of semiotic activity in children is essential for their cultural development. It is argued in this paper that the promotion of semiotic activity in young children within the context of their play activity is an important aspect of the improvement of early childhood education. In a small scale exploratory study we observed pupils of 4–6 year old playing together with a train set. During this play the children were encouraged to make a diagram of their railway track. By analysing their play activity and their schematisations, we tried to find out whether (and how) the promotion of semiotic activity would be possible without affecting the play character of the childrens activity.

Learning resources in the context of play. Promoting effective learning in early childhood.

SUMMARY This articles argues that there is no absolute standard for defining the quality of early childhood education and care. Current approaches to effective teaching/learning are of a very limited value for the definition of a standard for good education. In an attempt at finding an alternative definition of effective teaching in early childhood education, the article explores from a Vygotskian perspective the notion of play as a format for young childrens activities. From this perspective, every activity — including play activity- is seen as a distributed form of cognition, that comprises different cultural resources that can be employed by the actors for the accomplishments of the activity. Effective learning in early childhood now can be conceived as a characteristic of a shared playful activity for children in which they are stimulated to use as many of the available resources as possible. Initial evaluations of a play-based curriculum based on these ideas, are presented and discussed.SUMMARY This articles argues that there is no absolute standard for defining the quality of early childhood education and care. Current approaches to effective teaching/learning are of a very limited value for the definition of a standard for good education. In an attempt at finding an alternative definition of effective teaching in early childhood education, the article explores from a Vygotskian perspective the notion of play as a format for young childrens activities. From this perspective, every activity — including play activity- is seen as a distributed form of cognition, that comprises different cultural resources that can be employed by the actors for the accomplishments of the activity. Effective learning in early childhood now can be conceived as a characteristic of a shared playful activity for children in which they are stimulated to use as many of the available resources as possible. Initial evaluations of a play-based curriculum based on these ideas, are presented and discussed.

Teaching in a play-based curriculum: Theory, practice and evidence of Developmental Education for young children.

This article focuses on the possibilities of teaching in a play-based curriculum, which has become an issue of international relevance. As a domain of study, the Developmental Education approach was taken in the early grades of Dutch primary schools (grades 1–4, ages 4–8). The article describes the theoretical basis of the approach and how it is elaborated in a play-based curriculum for early years classrooms. Particularly the teachers’ strategies for the promotion of development will be discussed in more detail. Finally, the article presents a piece of the evidence base of this approach by reporting a research on vocabulary acquisition. Despite methodological limitations of the empirical study, the evidence suggests that teaching in a play-based curriculum is not only theoretically plausible and practically feasible, but also seems to be effectively useful for the attainment of positive outcomes (on vocabulary learning) as compared to a strictly teacher-driven approach.

On the Narrative Nature of Young Children's Iconic Representations: Some Evidence and Implications.

Abstract Reflection on the relationship between a sign and its meaning (i.e. semiotic activity) is a fundamental form of cognitive activity that already occurs at an early age. The improvement of this semiotic activity in young children prepares for their later learning activity. Iconic representations are one important category of signs for young children (3‐7 years old). Iconic representations (drawings, diagrams, schemes) are generally conceived of as means bridging the gap between early enactive, perception‐bound thinking and abstract‐symbolical thinking. From the Vygotskian perspective iconic representations are complex signs referring to some object (situation, action) in a special way. On the bases on the analysis of childrens drawings it is argued that iconic representations are narrative in nature for young children. Children tend to supplement their drawings with verbal symbols in order to make sure that their intended meanings are maximally clear. In doing so, children learn to carry out semio...

Helping young children to become literate: the relevance of narrative competence for developmental education

After a critique of the standard literacy practice in primary school, the article develops a Vygotskian view on literacy that defines literate activity as a generalised ability of using sign systems for personal and interpersonal use within specific cultural practices. Narrative competence is seen as one specific form of this literate activity. With the help of Vygotsky’s theory of thinking, narrative competence can be further analysed as a process of constructing topic predicate structures. Data from two case studies illustrate the dynamics of this narrative competence and its development. Finally, it is demonstrated how the characteristics of this narrative competence may be seen as a result of developmental education, as is developed in The Netherlands on the basis of Vygotsky’s approach. Après une analyse critique des pratiques standards en matière de ‘literacy’ à l’école primaire, nous développons dans cet article une perspective vygotskienne qui définit l’activité à l’égard de l’écrit comme une capacité généralisée à utiliser des systèmes de signes pour un usage personnel et interpersonnel au sein de pratiques culturelles spécifiques. La compétence narrative est considérée comme l’une des formes spécifiques de cette activité. Grâce à la théorie de la pensée de Vygotsky, cette compétence peut être alors conçue comme un processus de construction de structures sujet‐prédicat. Les données issues de deux études de cas illustrent la dynamique de cette compétence narrative et son développement. Nous démontrons en quoi ses caractéristiques peuvent être vues comme le résultat d’une éducation développementale, fondée sur une approche vygotskienne, telle qu’elle existe aux Pays‐Bas. Im Anschluss an eine Kritik der Standardpraxis zum Schriftspracherwerb in der Grundschule wird eine Vygotskische Sichtweise auf Literacy entwickelt, in der auf Lesen und Schreiben bezogene Aktivitäten definiert werden als eine genereralisierte Fähigkeit zur Nutzung von Zeichensystemen für den personalen und interpersonalen Gebrauch innerhalb spezifischer kultureller Praxis. Mithilfe Vygotskis Theorie des Denkens kann narrative Kompetenz weiter analysiert werden als ein Prozess des Konstruierens inhaltspredikativer Strukturen. Daten aus zwei Fallstudien illustrieren die Dynamiken dieser narrativen Kompetenz und ihrer Entwicklung. Abschließend wird gezeigt, wie die Merkmale dieser narrativen Kompetenz als Ergebnis einer entwicklungsbezogenen Bildung gesehen werden können, wie sie in den Niederlanden auf der Grundlage von Vygotskis Ansatz entwickelt wird. Después de una crítica a la práctica estándar de la lecto‐escritura en la escuela primaria, el artículo desarrolla una visión Vygotskiana sobre ésta que la define como la actividad de saber leer y escribir como capacidad generalizada en el uso personal e interpersonal de sistemas de signos dentro de prácticas culturales específicas. La capacidad narrativa se considera como una forma específica de esta actividad de saber leer y escribir. Con la ayuda de la teoría de la capacidad del pensamiento narrativo de Vygotsky se puede analizar más a fondo el proceso de construir las estructuras de lo que leemos y escribimos. Los datos a partir de dos estudios de caso ilustran la dinámica de esta capacidad narrativa y de su desarrollo. Finalmente, se demuestra cómo las características de esta capacidad narrativa se pueden considerar como resultado de la educación, como ocurre en los Países Bajos según las bases de la aproximación Vygotskyana.

Reason and Dialogue in Education

A concern with reason has always been at the heart of European educational theory. For the ancient Greeks, reason was considered the defining characteristic of humanity. Both Aristotle and Plato argued that the promotion of reason should be a central aim of education. The movement for universal education that began in eighteenth-century France was at least in part inspired by the belief that education for all would expand the influence of reason in society and therefore fuel social progress. Harvey Siegel (1997) argues that thinking skills programmes are a continuation of this Enlightenment project to promote reason by means of education. Some “postmodernist” thinkers, such as Lyotard and Foucault, have strongly criticised this Enlightenment project. However most postmodern theory applied to education, when examined closely, does not involve a rejection of the ideal of reason so much as a redefinition of reason in terms of local dialogues (e.g., Parker, 1997). The important question is not so much, should education promote reason but, rather, which model of reason should it promote. In this chapter I tentatively put forward the suggestion that the idea of “dialogue across difference” (Burbules, 1993) offers a coherent model of reason that could serve as an ideal within education. THE DIALOGIC TURN Recently there has been an increasing number of studies in education and psychology informed by dialogical rather than monological theoretical assumptions.