Learning as discourse change: A sociocultural mechanism

Abstract

This paper deals with a theoretical mechanism for learning and a methodological approach for analyzing meaning making in classroom talk and action. It examines the potential of the approach for illuminating learning on a discursive level, i.e., how discourses change and how individuals become participants of new practices. Our approach involves a high-resolution analysis of how meaningful relations are built in encounters between individuals and between individuals and the world. The approach is based mainly on the work of the later Wittgenstein, but also on pragmatism and sociocultural research. To demonstrate how our approach can be used, we analyze what university students learn during a practical on insects. We specifically demonstrate how the encounters with physical pinned insects contribute to the meaning students make and how these encounters interact with other experiences during laboratory work.

Language Use in a Multilingual Class: a Study of the Relation Between Bilingual Students’ Languages and Their Meaning-Making in Science

“…According to Dewey's (1938Dewey's ( /1997 principle of continuity, students make meaning of a situation by relating it to their earlier experiences and the purpose of the activity. This process implies a reactualisation and transformation of students' earlier experiences and has consequences for what they learn in the specific situation and in the future (Wickman 2006;Wickman and Östman 2002). Since every situation students enter means gaining new experiences, all situations involve learning (Lave and Wenger 1991;Rogoff 1990).…”

“…Practical epistemological analysis (PEA) is based on the ideas of John Dewey, the later Ludwig Wittgenstein and sociocultural approaches (Wickman 2004(Wickman , 2006Wickman and Östman 2002). It is a well-established approach used to study meaning-making in science (Kelly et al 2012).…”

“…PEA consists of four operational concepts: encounter, gap, relation and stand fast (Wickman and Östman 2002). An example to illustrate and explain how PEA is used is derived from the data collection for this study.…”

“…Then, the gap lingers and the activity stops or takes another direction. If the students had, for example, asked the teacher what he was aiming at when he said 'were you able to get it to light up' or what certain words, for example, 'light up' meant, we should say that the teacher's question did not stand fast in the encounter and resulting in a lingering gap (Wickman and Östman 2002;Wickman 2006). Filling gaps involves meaning-making and thus implies a reactualisation and transformation of earlier experiences.…”

“…Additionally, gaps can be filled and make meaning to students although they may not take the direction the teacher intended. Furthermore, standing fast is temporal, meaning that what stands fast in one situation may later be questioned by the same individuals (Wickman and Östman 2002;Wickman 2006).…”