Imagination and Creativity in Vygotsky’s Works: Links to the Video Recordings of all Sessions

The writings of L.S. Vygotsky continue to be a source of new ideas (inspiration) for people from many different disciplines, nearly ninety years after his death. The practical applications for education are myriad including preschool programs such as Tools of the Mind, Playworlds, and The Golden Key. Vygotskian concepts, such as the zone of proximal development, have also been applied throughout numerous curriculum programs, facilitating learning across the life-span and across disciplines. Yet, one very important aspect of his work remains relatively unknown, the development of creative imagination as a higher psychological function and its coordination with other higher psychological functions in psychological systems. This seminar consists of series of 90-minute ZOOM sessions with a presentation by a guest speaker followed by participant discussion. Selected readings will be available prior to each ZOOM session. Afterwards the discussions can continue via e-mail, and in mini- ZOOM sessions. 

This video seminar allows a real time, ongoing, exchange of ideas among people interested in Vygotsky’s writings on imagination and creativity. In keeping with the spirit of cultural praxis, this format allows for an ongoing scholarly discourse among an international community who are participants (rather than an audience).

If you would like to join the seminars, contact Francine Smolucha at lsmolucha@hotmail.com

This seminar series developed from Five Coffee Hours based on Vygotsky’s 1930 publication “Imagination and Creativity in Childhood”. They were hosted by Professor Michael Cole.

Schedule for Fall 2022 – Spring 2023

1. Shannon Brincat, “Imagination and International Relations” (October 18, 9am Pacific Time).
2. Pretend Play in 3- and 4-year olds: Imagination at Workin a Real Pretend World by Gillian Mcnamee (November 15, 9 am Pacific Time).
3. Framing:  From Pretend Play to Social Movements (December 6, 9 am Pacific Time).
4. Creative Collaborations hosted by Henry Shonerd, featuring Suki John as a Guest Speaker (January 10, 9 am Pacific Time).
5. Cognitive Linguistics: The relationship between verbal and non-verbal thinking by Henry Shonerd (February 14, 9 am Pacific Time).
6. Moral Imagination: Exploring the connections between moral metaphors, language, imagination, and culture. Featuring Mark Johnson as a Guest Speaker (March 14, 9 am Pacific Time).
7. Imagination and Creativity in the Adolescent with Francine Smolucha (April 11, 2023, 9am Pacific Day Time).
8. Imagination and Creative Activity of the Adolescent with Bernard Schneuwly (April 28, 2023, 9am Pacific Day Time).
9. Co-ordinating Higher Psychological Functions as Higher Psychological Systems with Eugene Subbotsky (May 23rd, 2023, 9am Pacific Day Time).
10. Play, Imagination, and Creativity Across the Life-span with Artin Göncü (June 20, 2023, 9am Pacific Day Time).

Schedule for Fall 2023 – Spring 2024

1. Gillian McNamee: Introducing Preschool Education in Rural Kyrgyzstan (September 13th, 2023, at 8:30 am Pacific Day Time).
2. Ilyenkov on Imagination with David Bakhurst (October 18, 2023, at 8:30am Pacific Day Time)
3. Bakhtin’s Perspective: Events, Postupaks (act-deeds), Perezhivanie, and Authorship in Three Chronotopes of Play with Ana Marjanovic-Shane (November 15, 2023, at 8:30 am Pacific Day Time)
4. Addressing the Dialectic between Local Culture and Global Imperatives: Insights from an afterschool program for culturally diverse students in India with Tara Ratnam (November 29, 2023, at 8:30 am Pacific Standard Time)
5. Preschool for Toktogul, Kyrgyzstan, with Ratbu Satarova and Sarah Silverman (December 8, 2023, at 7:00 am Pacific Standard Time)
6. Leading Activity and Child Development with Alex Kozulin (January 23, 2024, at 9:00 am Pacific Standard Time)
7. Early Constraints on the Imagination: The Realism of Young Children with Paul Harris (March 5, 2024, at 9:00 am Pacific Standard Time)
8. Imagination as a Higher Mental Function with Luca Tateo (April 2 at 9 am Pacific DayTime)
9. Neurological Networks for Creative Imagination with Francine Smolucha (April 30 at 9:00 am Pacific Day Time)
10. Imagination at Work: Are we a simulation? with Eugene Subbotsky (May 14th at 9 am Pacific Day Time)
11. Neural Networks for Inner Speech with Charles Fernyhough (June 4th at 9 am Pacific Daylight Savings Time)