In this video Professor Yrjö Engeström responds to Anna Zarkh’s question on the reasons to use the term generations to approach cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT). The piece is an excerpt from the seminar “From CHAT to Critical CHAT,” organized by Professor Kris Gutierrez and Edward Rivero at University of California Berkeley (Spring 2020). The course was attended by roughly 50 scholars from various parts of … Continue reading Why generations?

Ivana Guarrasi talks about the intention behind creating the Video Series as an international, cross-generational platform for discussion and conversation. Thank you to our viewers for participating in the discussions thus far. We invite you to engage or re-engage with existing videos and comment-threads on the site. Stay tuned for more! Go to our Youtube Library for longer interviews and presentations by distinguished CHAT scholars and educators. Continue reading Why this Video Series?

Writing for the general public is challenging — and rewarding. How would YOU explain Vygotsky’s theory for a general audience – e.g, parents, teachers, coaches, relatives – without sacrificing accuracy? It might be harder than it looks!   Peter Smagorinsky publishes prolifically and also contributes regular newspaper columns for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  Andy Blunden translates, curates, and publishes at ethicalpolitics.org and also maintains a vibrant YouTube presence. Feel free … Continue reading An Audience Participation Question…Let’s Have Some Fun!

Important questions. Interesting answers. Excerpts from Andy Blunden, Huw Lloyd, Peter Smagorinsky, David Kellogg, and Nikolai Veresov provide a great start to a rich conversation. Sources for all clips are available here . Go to our Youtube Library for longer interviews and presentations by distinguished CHAT scholars and educators. Continue reading What Are Concepts, and How Might They Be Taught?

The video is an excerpt from a talk by Professor Annalisa Sannino (Tampere University, Finland) and Professor Yrjö Engeström (CRADLE, University of Helsinki, Finland) on “The contributions of formative interventions and Cultural-Historical Activity theory in the context of contemporary work.” 75th Meeting of the FORUMAT, organized by the Faculty of Public Health, University of São Paulo, 23th October 2020. Continue reading Using 4th Generation Activity Theory to fight homelessness in Finland

Fernanda Liberali revisits Vygostsky from  COVID-19 pandemic and decoloniality perspectives. Go to 2:09 – for English version and 0:05 -for Portuguese version. How do you consider the issue of necropolitics and necroeducation in the global context of pandemic? In an interview with Monica Lemos, Fernanda Liberali revisits Vygostsky from the COVID-19 pandemic and decoloniality perspectives. She considers the issue of necropolitics (Mbembe, 2019) and necroeducation … Continue reading Fernanda Liberali revisita Vygotsky pelas perspectivas da pandemia de COVID-19 e da decolonialidade

Nikolai Veresov discusses Vygotsky’s “greatest contribution” , the “discovery of the objectively existing laws of the development of all higher psychological functions” (Excerpted from “Vygotsky’s Role in the History of Psychology – Part 2” http://tiny.cc/2983iz ). Side questions include: Have these laws been challenged? Is Vygotsky’s theory a left-wing theory? Should conservatives be wary of this theory? Go to our Youtube Library for longer interviews and presentations … Continue reading Nikolai Veresov on “are the laws of thought objective?”

  “… development comes out of resolving some sort of contradiction… some type of crisis… a good crisis” Go to our Youtube Library for longer interviews and presentations by distinguished CHAT scholars and educators. Continue reading Dr. Natalia Gajdamaschko on the ‘crisis’ in the classroom (the good kind)