Readability (1/2)

2 Pedagogical psychology and Pedagogical points

Philosophers have only interpreted the world,
the point, however, is to change it.22

• 2 Pedagogical psychology and Pedagogical points
• 2.1 Choice of pedagogical psychology
• 2.2 Sociocultural perspective I
• 2.2.1 Activity theory
• 2.2.2 Vygotsky
• 2.2.3 The cultural-historical School
• Language usage - discursive analysis
• The use of tools - material analysis
• Situated
• 2.2.4 Marx
• Briefly on metaphysics
• (Reading comments II)
• Return to Marx
• Development lines after Marx
• 2.3 Other perspectives on the psyche
• 2.3.1 Psychoanalysis - mechanistic idealism
• 2.3.2 Behaviourism - mechanistic materialism
• 2.3.3 Constructivism and cognitivism - dialectic idealism
• 2.3.4 Sociocultural theory - dialectic materialism
• 2.3.5 Differences and similarities between the perspectives
• The examinatorial practice and the different perspectives
• (Reading comments III)
• 2.4 Sociocultural perspective II
• Theory and practice
• 2.5 Introduction to the Art of learning I
• Scientia Excaminandi
• A way to be active
• My sociocultural theory
• Ars Discendi
• Some clarifications before we continue
• 2.6 Pedagogical points
• Point number 1 - making use of beginning biographies
• Point number 2 - using an object to mediate meaning
• Point number 3 - using concepts in footnotes in a specific way
• Point number 4 - creating a good foundation for initial relations
• Point number 5 - establishing a zone of proximal development
• Point number 6 - clarifying the importance of background experiences
• Point number 7 - trying to achieve a performative attitude
• Point number 8 - showing how useful stories can be
• The pedagogical points in their entirety
• 2.7 Introduction to the Art of learning II
• Reference management
• Philosophy and the art of learning

This chapter has two main purposes. One is to describe the pedagogical points I am trying to develop through this book, and the other is to introduce a pedagogical psychology as a basis for thinking about an art of learning. The pedagogical points will be influenced by the pedagogical psychology, so I will elaborate on the latter one first. Before all that, I will give you a short introduction.

Keep this in mind: if people define situations as real, they become real in their consequences.23Expressed in another way: the interpretations of a situation affect the following actions, and the interpretations are subjective. This is always the case. In the long run, it will affect the self and the way we live, i.e. our lived lives will become a consequence of our interpretations. During our education, emotions and perceptions are sedimented as parts of our selves, and they affect how we live our lives. They get consequences.

Consider also the following question: what is a human being? Our answers have consequences, e.g., for how and what we learn. Assume that human beings are constituted by thoughts, feelings, actions, and their uses of language, which they are with a biological and sociological basis, i.e. with a nature and a culture. Then, as we are influenced by our nature and culture, we need to consider both human nature and its construction in a culture. Societies set limits for how we can live - previous generations have set our limits just as we are setting the limits for future generations.

We make situated interpretations that have consequences for our view on human beings and the human condition. One example of an interpretation is that our generation should use as much as possible of our resources. Future generations will have to do the best they can. Another interpretation is that we should save as much as we can for future generations. The specific perception we use will become true in its consequences, and it will say something about what and how we are as humans. In other words, it is not unimportant to try to find out what perceptions we are following. They affect our learning. As in the example, we can either learn to consume or save resources.

With these thoughts, we are in the middle of philosophical anthropology.24It is philosophical views about what we are as human beings. It is thoughts about human nature. We are always living with such thoughts, and there are assumptions in them which we may need to understand. One possibility is to try to understand man in comparison with other animals. It is termed comparative psychology. Within philosophy, as well as within psychology and many other sciences, there are other ways to answer this question. This also applies to religions and political ideologies. I want you to try to pay attention to assumptions about humans no matter what areas you are reading about, as it may affect our interpretations - which leads to perceptions that become real in their consequences. The thoughts we choose to use in an art of learning, and in an art of reading, will become real in their consequences.

2.1 Choice of pedagogical psychology

We need a psychological foundation for an art of learning, and our interpretation will become real in its consequences. When we meet choices of introductory psychologies, we already have, through our upbringing, got assumptions that may control us. They need to be managed - if possible. It may be possible through psychological considerations.

Choosing a pedagogical-psychological perspective is difficult. It approaches other areas such as sociology, biology, and philosophy, which does not make it any easier. We may need criteria to improve our initial choice. This is one of the many reasons I am introducing philosophy. It may help us develop an argumentation of how to make choices.

When we make a choice, there are thoughts about man working as a background that influences our choice. When we have made a choice, we get assumptions from that which we have chosen. Different assumptions intertwine, and they may be more or less unconscious. We may need to think about them and their consequences.

It is difficult to answer how one should make a choice. My thought in an art of learning is that we should think about how assumptions about our nature and culture affect our learning. I especially use the criterion that the theory through which one learns better can be perceived as the better theory of man, and thus the correct psychology - i.e. the more correct psychological perspective. I think that could be a good starting point for making choices. Therefore, I say we need a pedagogical psychology to reach a better art of learning.

It is true for every art that it relies on perceptions about man and its psyche. There are many perspectives to choose from. The pedagogical-psychological perspective I choose to start with is the sociocultural perspective. Over time, it will probably become clearer why I chose it. This choice will become true in its consequences, and it may come to influence how we look at man. In an introduction, we do not know if we have chosen the right perspective and, naturally, we may have to change it. This remains to be seen.

When we know we could be mistaken, we also need to develop thoughts about other perspectives. I will do so continuously, but I start with the sociocultural perspective.

2.2 Sociocultural perspective I

The sociocultural perspective goes under a number of different names, such as sociocultural theory, sociohistorical theory, cultural-historical theory, activity theory, situated perspective, and cultural-historical activity theory. I perceive that it is more common to say sociocultural perspective or sociocultural theory, at least in Sweden. The names are to some extent referring to the same theory, but depending on what purpose you have, you can make distinctions and use different names for different flavours of it. Therefore, it may be meaningful to keep them apart while assuming they have something in common. The could all be gathered in the sociocultural perspective. One example is that you can use the division and say that the cultural historical theory, developed by Vygotsky and others, further developed into activity theory through Leontiev and his colleagues. In their succession, there are many theorists, and thus, we can call it sociocultural theory and the whole tradition the sociocultural perspective. I assume this breakdown to enter the area.

I will begin later, in the 1970s, when activity theory developed, and then I go back to the beginning of the 1900s - to the main figure Lev S. Vygotskij.25He developed the cultural history school based on thoughts from Karl Marx and others, which I also deal with in this chapter. I start in later times and move back to the 1800s - back to Marx. With that as a background, I will contrast the sociocultural perspective with some other psychological perspectives. It can hopefully explain, at least in part, why I chose it. Then I will turn to some more recent thoughts in the sociocultural perspective. With this whole background, I hope you will better understand the pedagogical...