Vygotsky and special needs education : rethinking support for children and schools

This is an international guide to using Vygotsky's theories to support children and schools in special needs education. After Piaget, Vygotsky is perhaps the most important educational theorist of the twentieth century. Support for schools and pupils with additional needs has been theorised in a number of ways over the last 100 years and much interest has been shown in the development and relevance of Vygotsky's ideas. It is ironic, therefore, that so little has been written about the practical application of such a perspective to the field. This book brings together researchers working in the UK and Denmark to reflect on the benefits to be had from taking such a stance on support for children and schools. All the contributors are connected with work that has been done at PPUK and CSAT research centres at the universities of Copenhagen and Bath. Both centres enjoy strong reputations for their contributions to cultural historical theory. The authors pursue issues raised by a post-Vygotskian approach and which make important contributions to the development of the fields of policy and practice.