Go Vygotsky!

I’m so glad that we get to free-blog today, because there is so much to rant and rave about these days!
First of all, I do have to say that I am finding this whole “Blog” post thing to be very challenging for me. I have never been very computer savvy, and quite frankly, would prefer to just be a Luddite. But alas, the technological ways of our world are catching up to us, and I have no doubt that they are only going to get more and more crazy as time goes on. And I most certainly don’t want to be “that teacher” who always goes, “Oh, well I would turn on/fix/use that machine, but someone who knows more about that stuff should help me”. I’ve had so many of those teachers, where you are thinking to yourself, “Get with the times! We’re not in ’54 anymore!”. But I’m afraid I’m totally going to be “one of those” if this blog stuff gets any more out of control than it already is!!! (You know, part of me is joking, but part of me is not.)
I would also like to comment on a little revelation I had today. When reading the supplemental info on Vygotsky tonight, I realized that his theory is in essence, exactly what we were doing today in Science class: Science Talks. While feeling highly doubtful about this little endeavor while just reading about it, I realized today in class when we actually DID it, that I was really getting a lot out of it. Not only was I learning, but I was SUPER DUPER excited about science and the world around me, and how does it work? Just talking with my peers about it all today made me want to go to the bar after school, perhaps on my Friday nights and find like-minded people to just “talk about our wonders”. It was so amazing to feel first-hand what it was that we were learning about and to actually see how well it seems t work.
Of course, there’s always the other side of this argument (and I do always like to play Devil’s Advocate): What happens if you are having your “Science Talk” (or any other exploratory talk for that matter) with someone who is way beyond your thought level? How do they keep from ruining all the wonder? How do they leave space for others to go around and around until they reach the answer, when they know it plainly and simply? I suppose the argument could be that even if a smarty-pants student were to ruin it for the others, they would have the ability to ask clarifying questions to that person until they all understood the concept. Then, not only are the other students learning, but the “smart” student is challenged to explore his or her own knowledge further to be able to put the thing into the terms that the other students require to understand. Go Vygotsky!
The other fear I have as a teacher with a lot of these Theories of Childhood is that I just won’t be able to shut up. I mean, I know that I grapple with being a chronic interrupter; I also know that I am a bit of a perfectionist and will panic if I feel that my students are headed in the wrong direction towards an answer. But I also know that it’s the process that will help them to learn, not just acquiring the answer first try. I guess it’s just important for now to notice, realize, and be mindful of where my struggles lie, and then utilize my professors and peers to help me work through the stuff so that hopefully, by the time I hit the classroom, it won’t be quite so difficult any more. Help!