3.2 collaborative practice and knowledge development
Cultural-historical activity theory

Prior to the “New Media Education” course, the media students and the choreography students alike had limited knowledge of multimedia performances and even less knowledge of how to create them. Less than four months later, we performed four collaboratively developed multimedia performance-works in front of audience.

This practice-based educational design is in line with activity theory, in which learning is perceived as occurring through activity in a context and a community (e.g. Engeström et al.1998). I will try to elaborate this in the following. As this is not a thesis on activity theory in particular, and an approach largely uncommon in media studies, the perspective is utilised here in a somewhat broadly and eclectic.

3.2.1 Three theoretical generations of Activity Theory

3.2.2 Multi-voicedness

3.2.3 Object and outcome

3.2.4 Contradictions