ABSTRACT
A poster taped to the painted cinder block wall above Jays head reads Practice Random Acts of Kindness. As sociocultural theory would suggest, these were not unrelated: In asserting the dialectical and mutually transforming nature of social and individual cognitive processes, sociocultural theory called attention to the importance of relationships and the social interactions that occurred within the cultural context of development. It is these interactions that created the context in which appropriation and transformation could occur. Drawing on Vygotskys notion of the zone of proximal development, Erickson emphasized that one aspect of social interactions that created the context for learning was trust. During the guided inquiry investigation of sinking and floating, Jay's use of oral language to build understanding was evident in both small-group interactions and whole-class discussions.
