Understanding Practice
Perspectives on Activity and Context

Brings together the many different perspectives that have been applied to examining social context.

Seth Chaiklin (Edited by), Jean Lave (Edited by)

9780521558518, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 31 May 1996

428 pages, 13 b/w illus. 6 tables
22.7 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.568 kg

'Understanding Practice is an important contribution to the direction of the field. It has a cohesive theme that is timely in the direction of several disciplines, including psychology, anthropology and education.' Barbara Rogoff

Understanding Practice brings together the many different perspectives that have been applied to examining social context. From Ole Dreier's work on the therapeutic relationship, to Hugh Mehan's work on learning by disabled students, to Charles and Janet Keller's work on blacksmithing, the chapters form a diverse and fascinating look at situated learning. A distinctive feature of the book is the wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the problem of understanding cognition in everyday settings.

Series foreword
List of contributors
Part I. Introduction: 1. The practice of learning Jean Lave
Part II. Learning Craftwork: 2. Learning to navigate Edwin Hutchins
3. Developmental studies of work as a testbench of activity theory: the case of primary care medical practice Yrjö Engeström
4. Re-searching psychotherapeutic practice Ole Dreier
5. Thinking and acting with iron Charles Keller and Janet Dixon Keller
6. Artificial intelligence as craftwork Lucy A. Suchman and Randall H. Trigg
7. Behavior setting analysis of situated learning: the case of newcomers Urs Fuhrer
Part III. Learning as Social Production: 8. Examinations reexamined: certification of students or certification of knowledge? Steinar Kvale
9. Beneath the skin and between the ears: a case study in the politics of representation Hugh Mehan
10. The acquisition of a child by a learning disability R. P. McDermott
11. Context and scaffolding in developmental studies of mother-child problem-solving dyads Harold G. Levine
12. Solving everyday problems in the formal setting: an empirical study of the school as context for thought Roger Säljö and Jan Wynham
13. Teacher's directives: the social construction of 'literal meanings' and 'real worlds' in classroom discourse Norris Minick
Part IV. Conclusion
14. Understanding the social scientific practice of Understanding practice Seth Chaiklin
Index.

Subject Areas: Psychology [JM]