An Introduction to a Vygotskian Tradition: The Potential of Sociocultural Activity Theory for Studies into Cognitive Development in Islamic Education

This paper presents the potential of sociocultural activity theory as a combined theoretical and analytical framework for cognitive-developmental research in Islamic education. The paper is divided into three main sections. The first section briefly explains Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, especially the concepts of mediation and the genetic method. The second section accounts for the related activity theory, that is, the second-generation activity theory, including the second-generation activity system model and its notion of contradiction. Drawing on a larger study into teacher cognition, the third section reports how sociocultural activity theory informed the study’s methodology, especially data collection and analysis techniques. Finally, this paper concludes with implications for future Islamic educational researchers seeking to conduct cognitive-developmental studies in their settings

Needs and challenges for online language teachers - the ECML project DOTS

The growing use of digital technologies in educational settings, paralleled by a paradigm change in educational theory from an instructivist transmission approach to constructivist and sociocultural theories of learning, demands more adapted teacher training programs, both technical and pedagogical. Looking at factors influencing teachers’ implementation of ICT in the foreign language classroom and guided by the results of a needs analysis survey conducted among twenty six language teachers from twenty five different European countries, the DOTS project aims to develop an online workspace with bite-sized learning objects for autonomous use by language professionals, particularly freelance teachers who frequently miss out on the training opportunities provided for their full-time colleagues

Fostering an Interactive Social Studies Classroom Instruction During a Pandemic: Experience, Practice, and Advice.

This essay expatiates and expounds on the merits and the demerits of two social studies instructional strategies (peer or collaborative learning and discussions) through virtual means in the current Covid-19 global pandemic, and offers eight helpful guidelines in addressing the demerits, for social studies instructors. The merits of virtual collaborative learning and discussions include distance learning, elicitation and extraction, introduction to new virtual technological tools, appreciation of diversity and diverse opinions, and sharing of external resources. The demerits include the fear of large class size, the disconnect in classroom interactions, cultural and socio-cultural differentiations, non-constructive discourses, the preferential syndrome, classroom discussion tardiness, and verbose posts. Eight recommendations are made for instructors which include the use of Voice Threads for audio and video discussions, a synchronous class introduction, responding to peers with minimal or no responses to their posts, assigning chapters of reading to students to present, balancing complimentary remarks with analytical critiques to posts, instructors to work with students to plan alternatives during technological challenges, and a formative and summative assessment of students’ engagement, discussion, and learning experiences

The Acceptance of VLEs (Virtual Learning Environments) by Primary School Teachers

International audienceThis article presents a study on the conditions of use of a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) by primary school teachers. To this end, we used research related to activity theory and implemented qualitative methods (individual and collective interviews). Our study describes how teachers (8 participants) perceived the role of the VLE in the evolution of their working practices (maintaining, transforming or restricting existent practices), in their relationship with parents and in the follow-up of their students

Needs and challenges for online language teachers: The ECML Project DOTS

The growing use of digital technologies in educational settings, paralleled by a paradigm change in educational theory from an instructivist transmission approach to constructivist and sociocultural theories of learning, demands more adapted teacher training programs, both technical and pedagogical. Looking at factors influencing teachers' implementation of ICT in the foreign language classroom and guided by the results of a needs analysis survey conducted among twenty six language teachers from twenty five different European countries, the DOTS project aims to develop an online workspace with bite-sized learning objects for autonomous use by language professionals, particularly freelance teachers who frequently miss out on the training opportunities provided for their full-time colleagues

Vygotsky in Twenty-First-Century research

At the 2008 Ed-Media conference, a list of most often cited papers in Ed-Media 2004-2008 was revealed (Ochoa, Mendez & Duval, 2009). Vygotsky’s theoretical work, originally published in Russia in the 1930s, came top of the list by a large margin. This paper examines why, and how this theory still can be relevant to twenty-first-century research. It is argued that an effective use of modern educational technologies calls for the use of advanced pedagogies. Vygotsky’s theory provides a profound understanding of teaching and learning that reflect the complexity of social and cultural contexts in the modern learner. The most frequently used concepts of Vygotsky’s theory are re-visited in relation to the research into new educational technologies. Additionally, the potential of some lesser known aspects of his theory, particularly in relation to educational technology, is explored. The inextricable connections between the Vygotskian approach and activity theory is discussed

International collaboration for the advancement of Entrepreneurship Education: An activity theory approach

Despite the prevalence of entrepreneurship studies across various levels of the education sector, the gap between theory and practice in entrepreneurship education is an ongoing pedagogical challenge. This is no exception in teacher education specifically, with regard to how and what we teach to cultivate entrepreneurial awareness. This article illustrates how an international collaborative online entrepreneurship initiative addresses this theory-practice gap underpinned by Engeström’s (2015) account of the transition from individual actions to collective activity. The research design is an interpretative, qualitative analysis based on the theoretical framework of activity theory, suggesting that motivation is necessary to spur on human behaviour and that motivation is prompted by objects (Engeström 1987; 1999). The collaborative interactions of the participants, who are South African student teachers, Dutch business management students, and a project facilitator, signify a flow of interactions that emerged from the activities within a system. Five key themes emerged: 1) technological intervention, 2) the impact on students 3) entrepreneurship framework, 4) system and stakeholders, 5) roles and tasks, and 6) instructional tools and pedagogy. This study suggests that even with dedicated teachers, a collaborative mentorship initiative can add value to increase entrepreneurial awareness. Furthermore, student teachers can play a valuable role in cultivating entrepreneurial thinking, but the development and synchronization of such initiatives requires proficient facilitation. This article further illustrates that efficient facilitation of local and international collaboration holds potential for the further expansion of entrepreneurship education within teacher education, which could then be cascaded to the school system

Academic Development Perspectives of Blended Learning

Technological advances in every aspect of today’s higher education environment create a forum for academic developers to re-examine existing delivery methods for professional development. Within the context of this case study, the term ‘academic developer’ is taken to encompass the role of learning technologist. In order to be responsive and accommodate the changes, traditional instruction methods are being extended to encompass the range of Web 2.0 tools available. Debate is ongoing in the area of blended learning as to the ultimate effectiveness of technology integration. Through exploration of the experiences of two academic developers involved in the design and delivery of accredited professional development programmes for academic staff in Ireland, the case is made for an effective balance in pedagogical and technological intervention. Both were experienced in delivery face-to-face instruction, had different levels of experience in online teaching and work collaboratively with academic staff. Experience from the two case studies suggests that a prerequisite for embedding blended learning strategies in learning and teaching is that the instructors recognise the need for appropriate holistic academic development to provide them with not only an understanding of how best to use the technologies, but fundamentally for enhancing their understanding of how to develop effective blended learning environments

Appreciation of virtual learning environments by higher education teachers

Virtual learning environments have become more and more important in all levels of education, especially in Higher Education. With this paper we intend to identify the appreciation that a sample of university teachers made regarding the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in their courses, the characteristics of digital resources associated with the Sakai environment and the availability of digital resources in that environment. Data were obtained using an online survey. The results obtained indicate that the most valued aspects of using ICT within the courses were the resources availability and access as well as time saving. The most valued characteristics of digital resources were their accessibility and easy use. With respect to resources availability, the most valued were the publishing of general information and of course-related digital resources

Voices of Resilience from the Bottom Rungs: The Stories of Three Elementary Core French Teachers in Ontario

This paper reports on a study that used activity theory (AT) as a framework to understand the dialogical relationship between three elementary Core French (CF) teachers’ personal and professional experiences and their literacy teaching beliefs and practices. This study used a case study design collecting data from three different teachers in three different locations by means of semi-structured interviews to help capture teachers’ perspective of their professional experiences. The interviews exposed the teachers’ creativity in dealing with concerns about their personal and professional goals and (limited) resources available, documented facilitating or constraining effects on the community that operated within the same activity system, and identified unspoken agendas of their wider professional communities. The analysis of the teachers’ narratives reveals that the definition of the status and role of CF within the Canadian educational context is an essential source of tension that affects the teachers’ teaching practices and their sense of professional identity. Cet article porte sur une étude ayant comme cadre la théorie de l’activité pour comprendre le rapport dialogique entre les expériences personnelles et professionnelles de trois enseignantes de français de base à l’élémentaire d’une part, et leurs croyances et pratiques par rapport à l’enseignement de la littératie d’autre part. Cette étude repose sur modèle d’étude de cas et a impliqué la collecte de données par le biais d’entrevues semi-structurées auprès de trois enseignants différents dans trois lieux différents de sorte à obtenir leur point de vue quant à leurs expériences professionnelles. Les entrevues ont révélé la créativité des enseignants face à leurs préoccupations relatives à leurs buts personnels et professionnels et les ressources limitées disponibles; documenté les effets facilitateurs ou restrictifs sur la communauté qui fonctionnait au sein du même système d’activités; et identifié les intentions tacites de leurs communautés professionnelles élargies. L’analyse des récits des enseignants a démontré que la définition du statut et du rôle du français de base dans le milieu éducatif Canadien est une source de tension qui affecte leurs pratiques pédagogiques ainsi que le sens de leur identité professionnelle