Cultural-Historical Psychology of Mastering Activity and Alternatives to Digitalization

Abstract

The article analyzes approaches to education where digitalization does not hinder the development of thinking, understanding, and acting among the teenagers. The article is based on the premise backed by the cultural historical theory of Lev Vygotsky and the concept of mastering ways of thinking by Vasiliy Davydov that existing ways of digitalization decrease the developmental opportunities of teenagers. In the case of common-sense digitalization communication processes between teenagers, teachers and different adults are reduced to scripts of interaction with monitors or digital devices according to behavioristic scheme “stimulus- reaction”. These stereotypic interactive processes do not motivate teenagers to increase their level of situational awareness and understanding of others in social interactions. The operational uniformity, supported by algorithms, without stimulating the discovery of new elements and units in the actions of the students, and the excessive chaotic visibility, diverting their attention to eye-catching but not essential elements for a better insight into the learning problem in typical digital systems, reduce the ability of teenagers to master skills such as modelling and idealization. The author considers a different type of digitalization in education that gives an opportunity to master the ways of design activity, research activity and meta-game activity. In this instance proposed visual items and operational units in digitalized simulative milieu are analyzed and considered by teenagers in communication with teachers and peers as sense bearing symbols and schemes representing personal understanding of situation by different participants of a teamwork. The author proposes that conceptual instruments of the activity theory can be used as the new framework to design and to elaborate educational digital systems of next generation that stimulate development of intellectual abilities.