William Barowy
Professional Title: Associate Professor
Areas of Academic Focus and Expertise:
Ecological, social, cultural, and historical perspectives of human cognition, learning, and development. Underlying this is the central tenet of mediational means: people act, communicate, learn, and develop with cultural resources, including language, symbols, technology, and other people. Technological and social mediation of human development is central to this research, offering unique insights into learning with technology across many contexts.
Area of Work and Concentration at Lesley: Technology, research, education.
Education: Ph.D., University
of Massachusetts, Amherst; M.S., University of Massachusetts, Amherst; B.S.,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Representative List of Recent Publications / Exhibitions:
- Ecology and Development in Classroom Communication, William Barowy and
Jeanne Elser-Smith, Linguistics and Education, 19, 149-165,
(2008)doi:10.1016/j.linged.2008.05.004.
- The Complex of School Change:
Personal and Systemic Co-development. William Barowy and Cindy Jouper, Mind,
Culture and Activity, 11(1), 9 - 24, (2004) doi: 10.1207/s15327884mca1101_2
Dr. Barowy believes that
learning is an ecological process, occurring between the ears, eyes, fingers
and toes and among people, mediated by cultural and semiotic resources. A child
reading a science book by herself is not learning alone. Over many years,
scientists created the words and grammar that make up her book. The book itself
is the product of print innovations. Chances are that many others have helped
the child to the point where she can read the book. Should this child become a
scientist, she too will contribute to advancing the field. Should she become an
innovative teacher, she will improve how we teach science. In these ways,
effective learning reshapes the cultural contexts that give rise to it.
barowy@lesley.edu