Utilizing Activity Theory to Analyze how Tensions were Negotiated in a Teacher Video Club
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
Focusing on a semester-long video club with five high school science teachers, the research describes elements of the video club as an activity system and examines how facilitator decisions and design choices surfaced and resolved tensions. Four levels of contradictions emerged during the professional learning: primary (video clip selection), secondary (changing norms and roles), tertiary (eliciting and working with student ideas), and quaternary (reconciling video club goals with district goals). The findings reveal that activity theory provides a nuanced framework for understanding the impacts of facilitator decision-making and highlights the importance of flexible facilitation, carefully selected artifacts, and responsive design in supporting teachers' professional growth and instructional exploration.
Recommended Citation
Barnhart, T. & van Es, E. A. (2025). Utilizing Activity Theory to Analyze How Tensions Were Negotiated in a Teacher Video Club. In Rajala, A., Cortez, A., Hofmann, R., Jornet, A., Lotz-Sisitka, H., & Markauskaite, L. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2025 (pp. 1909-1913). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://doi.org/10.22318/icls2025.644003
Copyright
ISLS
Comments
This article was originally published in Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2025. https://doi.org/10.22318/icls2025.644003