An introduction to Vygotsky

23rd October 2019 : 17:00 - 18:30

Category: Seminar

Speaker: Harry Daniels and Ian Thompson

Location: Department of Education, Seminar Room G

Seminar Abstract

 

This seminar address some of the key elements of developments in psychology that have been attributed to the work of L.S. Vygotsky. He drew attention to the way in which humans use tools, such as speech, which mediate their engagement with the world. This understanding of mediation was central to his analysis of the social, cultural and historical influences on the formation of mind. Key elements of this theory carry radical implications for the work of applied psychologists working in education.

Read Harry Daniel’s article on the subject: Vygotsky and educational psychology: Some preliminary remarks

 

About the speakers

 

Harry Daniels is Professor of Education at the Department of Education.  His current research interests are in school design and exclusion from school. He is interested in sociocultural and activity theory and Bernsteinian theory.

Ian Thompson is an Associate Professor of English Education at the Department of Education and Director of the PGCE course. He is joint convenor of the Oxford Centre for Sociocultural and Activity Theory Research (OSAT) and a Fellow of St. Hugh’s College. He is also a member of the university’s English Faculty. Ian is currently co-PI on the £2.55 million ESRC funded project Excluded Lives: the Political Economies of School Exclusion and their Consequences.

 

About the department of education

 

In 2019, the University of Oxford’s Department of Education celebrates the 100th year since the passing of a statute creating what was known in 1919 as the University Department for the Training of Teachers. To celebrate our centenary a year-long series of activities will be delivered to address some of the department’s top initiatives for 2019, answer some of the big questions facing education today and to reveal the advancements the department has made to the study of and research in the field of education. Join us as we mark our 100th year and discover more about our anniversary here.

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