Required
texts:
- Lantolf,
J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the
sociogenesis of second language development. New York: Oxford
University Press.
- Reading
packet (TBA)
- Digital
articles (course syllabus)
In
addition to the above texts, we will draw occasional readings from a
bibliography on SCT and L2 learning to address emergent and/or
particular participant interests.
Description: The focus of
the seminar is on the extension of sociocultural theory to the study of
second and foreign language acquisition and teaching. We will discuss
the general theoretical framework of mediated mind as developed by L.
S. Vygotsky and colleagues and then will examine current research and
theorizing in modern cultural historical psychology and activity
theory. We will focus most of our attention on the growing body of
research focusing on L2 learning and teaching informed by this theory
of mind and human development. Topics to be covered include the
following:
- history
and intellectual lineage of cultural psychology/SCT
- mind
as a mediated cultural construct
- higher
and lower order cognition
- cultural-historical
activity theory
- the
genetic method
- internalization
and appropriation
- the
zone of proximal development
- inner
and private speech (including gesture)
- collaborative
learning, prolepsis, and scaffolding
- the
role of artifacts and social relationships in development
- interface
between sociocultural research and language pedagogy
- language
testing from a sociocultural perspective
- self-regulation
in a first and other languages
- cognition
in a first and other languages
- identity
in a first and other languages
- the
relationship and contribution of SCT to other theories of cognition and
SLA
Additionally,
we will periodically discuss relevant research in cognitive
linguistics, conceptual metaphor theory, cognitive neuroscience, and
other disciplines. This is an ambitious description and we suspect that
we are not likely to cover all of the topics, at least not in the depth
they deserve. Although I will present you with a calendar of topics and
readings, I reserve the right to modify this as needed.
Requirements:
- Completion
of all assigned readings and active participation in seminar discussions
- Critical
reading notes/discussion ideas to be kept on a blog (10 entries minimum)
- Following
the introductory discussions, you will be required to prepare
presentations or questions based on a set of readings on a given topic.
Keeping with the spirit of sociocultural theory, these are to be done
in a collaborative format working in groups of two or three. Details
anon.
Written Work:
You are required to submit a seminar paper in two stages. The first
installment is an outline of your topic in prose, questions you are
asking, and a listing of the resources you have compiled for your
project – Due date is Tuesday, November 6th, 2007. The final project, a
term paper or alternative product (consult me about possibilities), is
to be submitted no later than Tuesday, December 11th, 2007.
Paper topics might include:
- a
pedagogical proposal, lesson plan, or implemented intervention
- a
theoretical inquiry
- the
theoretical framework or literature review for a masters or PhD thesis
- a
literature review of some aspect of SCT and SLA, literacy, and/or
learning and development more generally
- a
research study that utilizes sociocultural theory in some way, either
for the development of an intervention or as a research framework to
analyze data
Papers
may be done individually or collaboratively. Topics are open but the
professor will offer several suggestions that may be of interest. You
should feel free to discuss your interests with me at any time. If you
haven’t completed the on-line quiz required by the Penn State Office of
Research Control (ORC), please do so as soon as possible. This will be
necessary if you plan to undertake any empirical research involving
human participants. You will also need to submit for approval of the
ORC a plan for your study, including consent forms to be signed by the
participants. In all cases, the papers will be assessed according to
criteria that are normally used by refereed journals.
APLNG
584: Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning Coures Links
Syllabus
| Theory Links | SCT L2 Select Bibliography
| Course
Blogs
Comments or
Questions? Contact Steve Thorne |
The Pennsylvania State University