You win or you learn: Or my spinning instructor is a better Vygotskian educator than me

So I usually don't post but this morning I had one of those Aha moments that Vygotsky talks about in my spinning class. I don't know how many of you take spinning classes (probably none) but it is lead by an instructor who is always giving you instructions, part of them that one of the things you need to do is educate your bodies. The goals we set for ourselves are not always the goals best for our health (which is the reason I spin). So we have these special instructor today and she yells out, "there is no losing. You either you win or you learn. And every time you learn something is changes who you are as a person." At that moment I got it as a non-spontaneous concept and I realized this is what Vygotsky was after. Even if I don't achieve my goal every time I engage in spinning I learn something about my body. Eventually I will understand not how to reach my goal but how to use my understanding of my body to make a plan towards a goal (that fits who I am). When I do this I change in a small way who I am as a human being.  Isn't this what Vygotsky is saying, through his theory and maybe especially the zone of proximal development. We need to look at education as passing and failing but achieving you goal or learning something about yourself. Both are incredibly important.

Anyway, we will talk more about this on Tuesday (ahem, except for those of you going to see the aurora bourealis (sp?). But maybe you will learn something about yourself.

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