Although simple mechanisms are commonplace, reasoning about how they work— mechanistic reasoning—is often challenging. To foster mechanistic reasoning, we engaged students in the thirdand sixth-grades in the design of kinetic toys that consisted of systems of linked levers. To make the workings of these systems more visible, students participated in forms of activity that we conjectured would a...

Barth and Paladino (2011) argue that changes in numerical representations are better modeled by a power function whose exponent gradually rises to 1 than as a shift from a logarithmic to a linear representation of numerical magnitude. However, the fit of the power function to number line estimation data may simply stem from fitting noise generated by averaging over changing proportions of logar...

This essay traces the history of an activity designed to promote the intellectual and social development of elementary-age schoolchildren during the afterschool hours. Following in the footsteps of Urie Bronfenbrenner, I highlight his argument that just as all human development occurs in contexts of varying levels of inclusiveness and mutual interchange, human development occurs at intersecting...

This longitudinal study explores how the language proficiency of eight (N = 8) US-affiliated university students developed relative to their smartphone usage during abroad (SA) in Paris. Phone was tracked daily with Space, weekly using NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do statements, and use monthly via a Language Engagement Questionnaire. Adopting Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) framework following micro...

The present article reviews, extends and raises further questions concerning some of the neuropsychological and philosophical aspects of the microgenetic theory of the self, con sciousness and the mind-brain state. The theoretical approach of microgenesis, or process-theory more generally, is gaining new adherents in neuropsychology and cognitive psychology, while its initial formulation and gr...

Group dynamic assessment (G-DA) grounded in Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory (SCT) is believed to have the potential to provide a context for capturing a group of learners’ Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Poehner & Lantolf, 2010; Shabani, 2010). The present study aims at testing the applicability of G-DA in identifying the mediational strategies offered by a mediator during his G-DA interac...

This microgenetic study examined social influences on children's development of analogical reasoning during peer-led small-group discussions of stories about controversial issues. A total of 277 analogies were identified among 7,215 child turns for speaking during 54 discussions from 18 discussion groups in 6 fourth-grade classrooms (N = 120; age M=10.0, SD=0.6). Use of analogy was found to spr...

As formative research for the development of a suite of middle school life science video games, we are adapting microgenetic research methods [15] that use repeated, small-scale task-based sessions with participants to document how reasoning and understanding can develop and change in short periods of time. In this study, we are working with students between the ages of 9 and 12, examining the ...