L. S. Vygotsky and English in Education and the Language Arts

L. S. Vygotsky and English in Education and the Language Arts focuses on the hugely significant contributions of L. S. Vygotsky to research, theory, and practice in English and the Language Arts, exploring the relevance of Vygotsky's works for today's teachers and researchers. Drawing on his 30 years of study, Smagorinsky interprets Vygotsky in relation to literacy education, teacher education, special education, and how life outside school has an impact on how people function within them. This insightful and accessible text firstly explores Vygotsky's early life to situate him historically and culturally and goes on to trace his understanding of human psychology as it relates to the social contexts of schools and pupils' lives at home. Vygotsky's pedagogical ideas are then discussed in depth, with specific attention on the role of emotions, the zone of proximal development, expanding textuality beyond writing, and his belief in the primacy of socialization. This book illuminates new areas of understanding, and challenges common perceptions available through limited and selective readings, establishing Vygotsky as a complex developmental psychologist rather than a classroom practitioner. With points for discussion and reflection provided throughout, this text will be invaluable for student teachers, teachers, and academics in the field of English and the Language Arts.

Peter Smagorinsky is Distinguished Research Professor, emeritus, in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia, USA, and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico.

Part I: Historical Matters in Understanding Vygotsky 1. Biographical Elements of a Short Life 2. Culture, History, and Society 3. Marxism and Vygotsky in the Soviet Context 4. Historicizing Vygotsky's Hierarchical Views Part II: Factors in Human Development 5. Principal Themes of Vygotsky's Cultural-Historical Psychology 6. Phylogeny, Ontogeny, and Concept Development 7. Emotions and Reason in Human Development and Education 8. Play and Labor in Human Development and Education 9. The Next Zone of Development (Not the ZPD): A Genetic Understanding Part III: Pedagogy 10. Vygotsky's Contributions to Pedagogy 11. Orientation, Interests, Attention, Memory, and Relevance 12. Teaching Literature 13. Teaching Writing 14. Vygotsky, "Defectology," and Inclusive Education Part IV: Pedology 15. Vygotsky the Pedologist 16. The Pedology Decree: Vygotsky as Anti-Marxist Bourgeoisie 17. The Pedology Decree: Critiques of Method and Focus Part V: Conclusion 18. Conclusion