Vygotsky Podcast Anthony Barra

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