Jean Piaget is widely acknowledged as one of the most important scholars of the twentieth century. His passionate philosophical search for an understanding of the nature of knowledge led him to make major contributions to the study of child development and epistemology. But how did his early life in Neuchatel inspire him to embark on this search? Taking a socio-historical and cultural perspective, this book outlines the development of Piaget's understanding of major issues regarding mind, faith, science, logic, peace, and social rights in a time of anxiety. and world wars The international and multidisciplinary contributors investigate Piaget the adolescent as he begins his quest for autonomy of reason and sets out to create his own explanatory system for cognitive growth. The latter part of the book goes on to consider the early reception of Piaget's work in different cultural contexts and his impact on issues of psychology and educational reform. Piaget's theoretical system can be seen as an expression of the values he developed during his childhood and adolescence as he searched for the conditions of reciprocal relationships and rational dialogues. Jean Piaget and Neuchatel demonstrates that in today's climate, the questions Piaget addressed remain very relevant and invite new enquiries from different standpoints. This book will therefore be of interest to psychologists, educators, and philosophers. This book is published with the support of Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council.

Jean Piaget is widely acknowledged as one of the most important scholars of the twentieth century. His passionate philosophical search for an understanding of the nature of knowledge led him to make major contributions to the study of child development and epistemology. But how did his early life in Neuchatel inspire him to embark on this search? Taking a socio-historical and cultural perspective, this book outlines the development of Piaget's understanding of major issues regarding mind, faith, science, logic, peace, and social rights in a time of anxiety. and world wars The international and multidisciplinary contributors investigate Piaget the adolescent as he begins his quest for autonomy of reason and sets out to create his own explanatory system for cognitive growth. The latter part of the book goes on to consider the early reception of Piaget's work in different cultural contexts and his impact on issues of psychology and educational reform. Piaget's theoretical system can be seen as an expression of the values he developed during his childhood and adolescence as he searched for the conditions of reciprocal relationships and rational dialogues. Jean Piaget and Neuchatel demonstrates that in today's climate, the questions Piaget addressed remain very relevant and invite new enquiries from different standpoints. This book will therefore be of interest to psychologists, educators, and philosophers. This book is published with the support of Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council.

During the last decade, argumentation has attracted growing attention as a means to elicit processes (linguistic, logical, dialogical, psychological, etc.) that can sustain or provoke reasoning and learning. Constituting an important dimension of daily life and of professional activities, argumentation plays a special role in democracies and is at the heart of philosophical reasoning and scientific inquiry. Argumentation, as such, requires specific intellectual and social skills. Hence, argumentation will have an increasing importance in education, both because it is a critical competence that has to be learned, and because argumentation can be used to foster learning in philosophy, history, sciences and in many other domains. Argumentation and Education answers these and other questions by providing both theoretical backgrounds, in psychology, education and theory of argumentation, and concrete examples of experiments and results in school contexts in a range of domains. It reports on existing innovative practices in education settings at various levels.

During the last decade, argumentation has attracted growing attention as a means to elicit processes (linguistic, logical, dialogical, psychological, etc.) that can sustain or provoke reasoning and learning. Constituting an important dimension of daily life and of professional activities, argumentation plays a special role in democracies and is at the heart of philosophical reasoning and scientific inquiry. Argumentation, as such, requires specific intellectual and social skills. Hence, argumentation will have an increasing importance in education, both because it is a critical competence that has to be learned, and because argumentation can be used to foster learning in philosophy, history, sciences and in many other domains.

Argumentation and Education answers these and other questions by providing both theoretical backgrounds, in psychology, education and theory of argumentation, and concrete examples of experiments and results in school contexts in a range of domains. It reports on existing innovative practices in education settings at various levels.

A volume in Advances in Cultural Psychology Series Editor: Jaan Valsiner, Clark University This book is a result of a major research project in Switzerland that brings together the fields of Education and Socio-Cultural Psychology. It is focused on how culture is involved in very concrete educational practices. The reader is invited to follow the research group in a Swiss technical college that trains young people in precision mechanics during a period of major technological change: the arrival of automated manufacturing systems. This transition in the trade is an opportunity to explore the educational and psychological challenges of vocational training from a perspective inspired by activity theory and the consideration of social interactions and semiotic or other technical mediations as crucial to the formation of professional identities and competencies. What are the most appropriate settings for learning? There is no simple answer to this question. What can lead a pupil to become engaged, even if this is within a school, with all the seriousness of a future professional? Under which conditions is an internship in a company genuinely formative? Is it necessary to possess the most recent technologies in order to offer high quality training? What do we know about the relation between doing and knowing in the construction of new competences? How can it be planned and informed to become an object of reflection and make sense in the eyes of the learner? Dealing with such questions, this study explores new working hypotheses on the manner in which the young experience their training and on the significant role for them of professional specialization.

This study addresses a timely and crucial topic, the socialization of today's youth, by asking such precise questions as--What are the young socialized for? Which skills, modes of thinking or action are required of them and what are their developmental values? All too often, socialization tends to be viewed within the confines of a particular geographical or cultural situation. The multi-national contributors bring an international perspective to the problem of socialization in work and adult life by emphasizing common issues facing youth around the world.

This study addresses a timely and crucial topic, the socialization of today's youth, by asking such precise questions as--What are the young socialized for? Which skills, modes of thinking or action are required of them and what are their developmental values? All too often, socialization tends to be viewed within the confines of a particular geographical or cultural situation. The multi-national contributors bring an international perspective to the problem of socialization in work and adult life by emphasizing common issues facing youth around the world.