It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Last week I was working on updating the educators library for the school where I work. And, now I’m working on a final project for my educational psychology class. The basic premise of my research proposal is that if we can use technology, specifically video, to push what would be considered “direct instruction”, e.g., lecture, guided practice, demonstration, online in the video format, we can then use class time to meet individually with students face-to-face in a way that will facilitate a more individualized approach. I’ll post the final presentation when it’s complete, but I was looking through Vygotsky’s “Mind in Society” 1 and found a great quote.

…even the most profoundest thinkers never questioned the assumption; they never entertained the notion that what children can do with the assistance of others might be in some way more indicative of their mental development than what they can do alone.

I can just imagine bureaucrats’ reaction to the presentation of this idea, in fact some might consider the idea of assessing an individual’s ability in the context of working with another to be un-American.

1. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.