Broadening the Interpretive Lens: Considering Individual Development along with Sociocultural Views of Learning to Understand Young Children's Interactions during Socially Mediated Literacy Events

Abstract

S ociocultural theories provide a useful lens for interpreting behaviors as individuals enter contexts requiring social interactions. These theories help us understand that learning is stimulated and nourished by interactions with others, supporting a view that learning is essentially a socially inspired process. This emphasis on the social and cultural origins of knowledge, however, often minimizes dynamics related to individual development that influence how we respond to others and how others respond to us. Most relevant to this argument is information related to the influence of (a) the child's history of relationships, (b) the child's understanding of others and others' behavior, and (c) the child's cognitive perspective on the world. To account for these influences, the authors propose a model of collaborative literacy events (CLEs). The model merges understandings related to a sociocultural theory and individual development to broaden interpretations of children's behavior during socially mediated literacy events.Attention to how young children become literate has shifted from looking at an individual's preparedness for reading to consideration of the larger social and cultural milieus within which literacy develops. This shift came in part as a reaction to what many believed was a simplistic view of literacy development. Attention to the individual was prominent during the first 75 years of the 20th century and evident in such terms as "reading readiness" and the use of readiness tests to determine classroom placement. In effect, the child's potential for literacy development was placed primarily within an individual's cognitive and developmental infrastructure. Supported by growing evidence from ethnographers such as Heath (1983) and Street (1984), many researchers began

Cultural Dialogue as Identity-Work

“…The process and product of identity-construction and the meanings coming out of events and activities "reflect in their various negotiated structures, outcomes that people have fastened on between themselves in history as important for social, political or economic reasons" (Shotter, 1995, p. 44). This sociocultural view of identity also allows for an exploration of the individual, the social, and the cultural layers either simultaneously or separately, with the understanding that, while one may be in the foreground, the others are still present and influential (Matthews & Cobb, 2005). The intersection of literacy and identity reinforces the view that all communication is grounded in social situations and that the lived experience shapes how meaning is made and what meaning is made.…”

Sustainable Learning Process: Assessing the Effectiveness of Teaching Methodology by Analyzing Spatial and Temporal Properties of a Student as a Subject

“…The system is successful when acting with an object is organized to implement interiorization through categorizing the allocated objects, structures, actions, and knowledge [31][32][33].…”

Enhancing Year 7 and Year 8 Boys' Motivation in Narrative Writing Through Peer Collaboration and a Drama Strategy: a Case Study

“…Interacting and working with others, within a supportive social setting, helps to develop and expand students" thinking and speaking about their own problem solving and understandings. This is well identified in the literature as impacting positively on students (Matthews & Cobb, 2005).…”

“…The conceptualisations and perspectives of sociocultural theory, which are consistent with a view of learners constructing their knowledge in supportive learning environments, influenced the research of Hatano (1993) and Matthews and Cobb (2005). Hatano (1993) offers a constructivist Vygotskian conception of learning in educational settings describing four assumptions about the nature of the learner and their supportive environments.…”