Although there was no required readings this week about Activity Theory, we thought this page might interest you.  While reading, think of how this relates to Psychology of Educational Technology.  If you want a more in-depth overview of the Activity Theory, please check out the resources section in Module 8.

Here is an introductory video on the Activity Theory.

 

A General Overview of the Activity Theory

Activity Theory (AT) is one of many social approaches to learning with it roots developing from Lev Vygotsky’s ideas of cultural pschology and was later developed in more depth by Leont’ev.

AT is a way of examining human activity over time that will hopefully lead to a change or learning.

AT uses a shared tools model view of communication where subjects act together with other subjects and tools are used to change something in our world, the object of our activity.

Learning through AT is social in origin and human activity is shared.

There are many different activities – not just one.  Learning something new involves participating in a new activity, usually with different tools and different subjects.

Figure 1 – An example of an Activity Theory Triangle

Example – Basketball game – players (subjects) use a ball, hoop, court (tools) to score the most points against another team (object of activity).  Whoever wins the game is the outcome.  There are rules that occur and a division of labour (certain positions, coach, stats person).  The community would involve the school, league, officials association, parents, fans, scorekeepers, referees.

AT tries to make sense of the connections between human interactions by looking at subjects and their tools as they engage in particular activities.  In other words, how are interpersonal interactions conditioned by broader social interactions that are mediated through various tools.

Differences in participants perceptions of the object and motive, within and among activity systems, means people get cross purposes and cross perceptions.  As well, tools, rules, community, and division of labour are often perceived differently.  Human actions are at once individual and social.

After completing an activity, people are potentially different, one way or another, individually and perhaps collectively.  Learning went on, but not always in the ways the teacher had envisioned, and much less what the students had in mind.

From Cole’s book of Cultural Psychology:

• “Human behaviour is social in origin and human activity is collective” (Cole and Engeström, 1993).

• “AT emphasizes tool-mediated action.  Human beings not only act on their environment with tools, they also think and learn with tools.  Tools are materials and are “external” such as hammers, books and computers.  But we humans also fashion and use tools at a secondary or “internal” level—language, concepts, scripts, schemas, and genres. Both kinds of tools are used to act on the environment collectively” (Wartofsky, 1979).

Examples of the Activity Theory

Figure 2 – Activity Triangle Example – Homework

Figure 3 – Activity Theory Example – Integration of Technology

ACTIVITIES

1.  Activity Theory triangle:  Try to create your own triangle.  Once you have completed it,  save it and post into the discussion forum under the “Activity Theory Triangle” thread so that your classmates can see what you came up with.

NOTE: When using Google Drawings, you may see other peoples words and examples.  Just type over the last person’s example and save your own.

Go to: Activity Theory Triangle