Expansive Learning at Work

Having crawled my way through Engeström (2001), I have to admit I am finding some of the reading long winded and dull.  On reading sections of this piece I have to admit I wandered off to research it further rather than try and get my head around it.

 Lets face it any theory of learning has to look at Who, Why , What and How, obvious really. 

• Who is learning 
• Why are they learning
• What are they learning and
• How do the learn

What is Activity Theory?


Activity Theory is a framework or descriptive tool for a system. People are socio-culturally embedded actors (not processors or system components). There exists a hierarchical analysis of motivated human action (levels of activity analysis). (Learning-Theories.Com 2011)

What are the five principles of current activity theory?

The Hierarchical Structure of Activity which has three levels- activity, action & operation. The components of the activity can change during the process they are not rigid.

Object-orientedness which it includes not only the physical, chemical and biological properties of the object but also the social and cultural properties.

Internalisation/Externalisation Internalisation relates to the human being's ability to imagine and  consider alternative approaches to a problem by performing mental simulations. Externalisation transforms an internalised action into an external one. (Sunderland University)

Mediation Human activity is mediated by artefacts – tools both internal and external. These tools may be signs, language, instruments or machines. They are created by people and effect control over behaviour. Artefacts have an associated culture and history and permanence that exists across time and space. (Sunderland University)

Development Activity Theory requires that the way a human interacts with reality should be analysed within the context of development. Hence the research method is not laboratory experiments but rather formative experiments that combine active participation with the monitoring of the developmental change shown by the study participants.(Sunderland University)

Surely this is a lot like behaviorism?  it was at this point I really started to lose interest I have spent too long on this article and I am not sure what the answers are to the last two questions I await some inspiration from my fellow learners but I notice this thread has gone quiet I wonder why? 

1. What is the problem with the ‘standard’ theories of learning that expansive learning addresses?
2. What is the criticism that Engeström makes of the apprenticeship model of learning?

References

Engeström, Y. (2001) ‘Expansive learning at work: toward an activity theoretical reconceptualisation’, Journal of Education and Work, vol.14, no.1, pp.133–56; also available online at http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/ login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=4139632&site=ehost-live&scope=site (last accessed 10 March 2011)

Learning-Theories.Com(2011) com http://www.learning-theories.com/activity-theory.html


Sunderland University (n.d) 'Activity Theory – an introduction' (Online) Available from Http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/~cs0car/hci/3_con_at.htm (Last accessed 10 March 2011)

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