“I Don’t Need Your Help!” Fifth Graders, Vygotsky, & Peer Editing

1. “I Don’t Need Your Help!”Fifth Graders, Vygotsky, & Peer Editing Mary Christianakis, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Occidental College

2. In this presentation, I… • Introduce my research question and methods. • Discuss Vygotsky’s Theory • Introduce the social dynamics of the classroom I studied. • Explain peer stances during “Peer Editing”. • Examine some data on “Expert Peer Editing” • Revisit Vygotsky

3. Research Question and Methods • How do peer social dynamics shape and get shaped by peer editing practices? • I audio taped language arts lessons, collected student writing samples, audio taped small group discussions during writing, and conducted interviews. • I used a sociocultural theoretical frame informed sociolinguistic theories for understanding and analyzing data.

4. Zone of Proximal Development Potential “expert” or more “capable” peer Actual Vygotsky’s Theory of Development

5. Classroom Sociogram(Organized by friendship group; color coded by perceived ability; color coded by self-identified race) Shakeel Joey Ester Ramana Donny Maria Kaya Ron Swapnil Rayjon Clyde Mark Andy Constance Ariel Felicia Erin Rachel Nicholas Mindy Steve Henry Kataja Delisha Ronita Aqueenah Synchro

6. Typology of Questions & Comments During Peer Editing

7. Classroom Sociogram(Organized by friendship group; color coded by perceived ability; color coded by self-identified race) Shakeel Joey Ester Ramana Donny Maria Kaya Ron Swapnil Rayjon Clyde Mark Andy Constance Ariel Felicia Erin Rachel Nicholas Mindy Steve Henry Kataja Delisha Ronita Aqueenah Synchro

8. Data Excerpt #1

9. Classroom Sociogram(Organized by friendship group; color coded by perceived ability; color coded by self-identified race) Shakeel Joey Ester Ramana Donny Maria Kaya Ron Swapnil Rayjon Clyde Mark Andy Constance Ariel Felicia Erin Rachel Nicholas Mindy Steve Henry Kataja Delisha Ronita Aqueenah Synchro

10. Data Excerpt #2 Challenging Experts

11. Classroom Sociogram(Organized by friendship group; color coded by perceived ability; color coded by self-identified race) Shakeel Joey Ester Ramana Donny Maria Kaya Ron Swapnil Rayjon Clyde Mark Andy Constance Ariel Felicia Erin Rachel Nicholas Mindy Steve Henry Kataja Delisha Ronita Aqueenah Synchro

12. Data Excerpt #3 “It would make more sense…”

13. Classroom Sociogram(Organized by friendship group; color coded by perceived ability; color coded by self-identified race) Shakeel Joey Ester Ramana Donny Maria Kaya Ron Swapnil Rayjon Clyde Mark Andy Constance Ariel Felicia Erin Rachel Nicholas Mindy Steve Henry Kataja Delisha Ronita Aqueenah Synchro

14. Data Excerpt #4 “Who asked you?”

15. Zone of Proximal Development Potential “expert” or more “capable” peer Actual Vygotsky’s Theory of Development Implications Reconsider

16. Reconsiderations of ZPD for Peer Writing • Consider ZPD as a constructed/contested zone • Activity Theory (Russell and Yanez, 2003)—can give a frame for understanding the zone. • Study the “co-action” and the “distributed” nature of the social context • Consider the shifting nature of expertise

17. Directions For New Research • Explore social and cultural meanings of peer editing during writing—intersection of race, perceived academic ability, social status • Explore the perspectives of the children and not the hopes of adult worlds. • Revisit and challenge developmental theories • Peer Activity involves “signs” in use—that are concrete, historical and dialogic.

18. Vygotsky (1987) • “The central tendency of the child’s development is not a gradual socialization introduced from the outside, but a gradual individualization that emerges on the foundation of the child’s internal socialization (259)”.