Date: Tuesday Feb 10 at 9am PT
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/98564124237 [zoom.us]
Meeting ID: 985 6412 4237
Passcode: Vygotsky
Guest Speaker: Francine Smolucha
Summary: The study of scientific creativity changed dramatically in 1962 when Thomas Kuhn’s book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was published. It was the end of the simplistic notion that a scientist could observe nature objectively without preconceptions. Kuhn argued persuasively that the scientific enterprise was a search for fundamental paradigms serving as frameworks uniting theory, methods, and cultural assumptions. Oftentimes these paradigmatic frameworks include a metaphor such as Darwin’s “tree of life” or Kekule’s benzene “ring”.
This recognition of the importance of imagination in scientific creativity was itself a paradigm shift. Research in the past twenty-five years has yielded interesting new ways of assessing and teaching scientific creativity as a multi-functional activity.
From a Vygotskian perspective, the collaboration of several higher psychological functions.
Readings:
T.S. Kuhn (1962/2012). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: 50th Anniversary Edition. University of Chicago Press.
Binar Kurnia Prahani a, Iqbal Ainur Rizki a, Nadi Suprapto a, Irwanto Irwanto b, Muhammed Akif Kurtuluş (2024). “Mapping Research on Scientific Creativity: A Bibliometric Review of the Literature in the Last 20 Years”. In Elsevier Publishing: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871187124000336
Atesgoz, N. and Sak, U. (2021)Test of scientific creativity animations for children: Development and validity study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S187118712100033X?via%3Dihub
From Francine:
Following-up on Paradigms in Psychology:
We do have an April session planned to recognize the Centennial of Vygotsky’s paper “The Historical Meaning of the Crisis in Psychology”. We have time to invite Guest Speakers or organize a panel. What are your suggestions?
Also in June, Saeed Karimi-Aghdam and his colleagues are preparing a presentation
on a possible unified paradigm for Second Language Acquisition. If the quest for a unified theory for all of psychology seems daunting, perhaps related disciplines
such as SL can lead the way.
Following-up on Pretend Play and Scientific Creativity:
Also in our discussion, it was suggested that we have a session on pretend play that would address object substitutions as a vehicle for learning to see things from different angles, to practice multiple uses of objects, and to find new meanings.
This would involve using object substitutions, along with learning to see visual isomorphisms and understanding how to use verbal metaphors. Object substitutions are an important tool in developing creative imagination and abstract thinking used in reading literacy, the arts, mathematics, the sciences, and interpersonal communication. We could design some simple exercises ahead of time to try out with some preschoolers and then include the videos in our session. We might have a session as early as July. (Let me know if you want to work on this project.)
Also we are most fortunate to have to Guest Speakers in our March and May
sessions who will enhance our understanding of the important role that imagination
has in child development.
On Tuesday March 10, Eugene Subbotsky will give a presentation on
Imagination and Learning
In May, Marilyn Fleer and Anne Clerc-Georgy will give a joint presentation
on the development of imagination (Title and Date TBA)
From Francine,
We are planning a session in April to commemorate the Centennial of Vygotsky’s paper “The Historical Meaning of the Crisis in Psychology”. This would be an opportunity to further discuss the issue of whether a unified paradigm in psychology is possible. Or whether it is totally unnecessary and a pre-paradigmatic psychology works just fine as a science. In June our guest speakers will address the issue of a unified theory in the area of Second Language Acquisition.
We could invite a guest speaker for April or have a panel give a presentation.
Do you have any suggestions?
Since this was conveniently on zoom, was there a recording of the event?
Hi,
Yes the recording will be uploaded here later.
Chi
Hello, I would like to know if it would be possible for you to enable Zoom’s automatic transcription and translation on the day of the meeting. Thank you in advance
I’ll do that! Thanks for mentioning.