(S1,Ep5) Nikolai Veresov on Vygotsky and Development

This is the first of a series of chats with Vygotskian psychologist, Nikolai Veresov, who discusses the enduring relevance and popularity of Vygotsky's work, distinctions between learning and development, continuing misconceptions of ZPD, the value of cultivating difficulty, and key principles for conducting Vygotskian experiments. (Originally published Jan 10, 2020 at Chats about CHT http://tiny.cc/kmylsz)

Highlights include:

1:04 - Our target audience & our main goals

2:01 - The enduring relevance of Vygotsky's theory -- and the challenge of understanding it accurately

6:49 - Huge interest in the theory is developing outside of academia

9:55 - "Vygotsky discovered the fundamental laws of the cultural development the human being"

11:37 - Learning vs. Development (not all learning is developmental)

18:27 - ZPD is only one, and not the main, concept of cultural-historical theory

22:49 - Is this a blank slate theory, or something else?

26:28 - We can't understand zone of proximal Development until we understand Development

27:26 - "ZPD as a concept, used everywhere, is a victim of misunderstanding"

36:00 - Are our objectives merely Task-oriented or Developmentally-oriented?

43:04 - 5 Principles for Designing and Conducting a Vygotskian Experiment

55:44 - Principle 2: the necessity of Drama, Collision, Contradiction (V's General Law)

1:00:56 - How Vygotsky applied dialectics to psychology (no development without contradiction)

1:07:38 - Advice for teachers: Cultivate Frustration, Create Small Crises, Help Find Solutions

1:10:11 - Relationship between personal dramas & personal values

1:15:33 - Is the Trump era a collective drama, or category? Collective development?

Dog playing Jenga: http://tiny.cc/ul55hz

Referenced sources: "How to Use a Vygotskian Approach: a short guide for teachers & researchers" (Barra 2019) - http://tiny.cc/0oe4hz

"Nikolai Veresov’s video-lecture, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan" (Veresov 2010) - http://tiny.cc/hse4hz

"Reading 'Thinking and Speech' (Vygotsky)" (Veresov 2010)- http://tiny.cc/0re4hz

“Zone of proximal development (ZPD): the hidden dimension?” (Veresov 2004) - http://tiny.cc/sse4hz

"The zone of proximal development in Vygotsky’s analysis of learning and instruction" (Chaiklin 2003) - http://tiny.cc/d315hz