Vygotskian Perspectives on Literacy Research - Constructing Meaning through Collaborative Inquiry

The authors in this 2000 collection use Vygotskys cultural-historical theory of human development to frame their analyses of schooling, with particular emphasis on the ways in which literacy practices are mediated by social interaction and cultural artifacts. This volume extends Vygotskys cultural-historical theoretical framework to embrace nuances of learning and development that are influenced by culture as instantiated through the experiences of race, ethnicity, and language variation. Rather than seeking to provide definitive answers to social questions using Vygotskys core principles, the authors wrestle with educational problems through the mediation of Vygotskys theory. In doing so, they both sharpen their focus on the problems and speak back to Vygotsky, helping to extend the foundation of his work to address modern problems. This collection serves as a form of collaborative inquiry that itself will stimulate further consideration of these topics. Contents
1. Introduction: constructing meaning through collaborative inquiry Carol D. Lee and Peter Smagorinsky
Part I. Paradoxes in Vygotskys Account of Development: 2. Vygotskys two minds on the nature of meaning James V. Wertsch
3. Creativity and collaboration in knowledge construction Vera John-Steiner and Teresa Meehan
Part II. Studies of Collaborative Inquiry: 4. Dialogic inquiry in education: building on the legacy of Vygotsky Gordon Wells
5. Consequential progressions: exploring collective-individual development in a bilingual classroom LeAnn Putney, Judith Green, Carol Dixon, Richard Duran, Ana Floriani and Beth Yeager
6. Linking writing and community development through the childrens forum Anne Haas Dyson
7. Synchronic and diachronic dimensions of social practice: an emerging methodology for cultural-historical perspectives on literacy learning Kris Gutierrez and Lynda Stone
8. Idiocultural diversity in small groups: the role of the relational framework in collaborative learning Peter Smagorinsky and Cindy ODonnell-Allen
9. Signifying in the zone of proximal development: literate cultural competencies in language minority classrooms Carol D. Lee
10. Teachers developing philosophies on literacy and its use in public schools: a Vygotskian perspective on internal activity and teacher change Arnetha F. Ball
11. Inspired by Vygotsky: ethnographic experiments in education Luis C. Moll
Author index
Subject index.

Author/Editor Details
Edited by: Carol D. Lee, Northwestern University, Illinois
Edited by: Peter Smagorinsky, University of Georgia