Previous Events

Change Laboratories for sustainable development and work-integrated learning in the higher education workspace
- Online Symposium Friday 14 November 2025. 10a.m. to 12.45 p.m. (SA time) Please click on the link below and complete the registration form.

Full program here. 

1st International Symposium on Science Education
Complexity and CHAT (1st ISSECC) and 4th Meeting of the Research Group in Science and Complexity Education (4th EECCo) Bridging and expanding theory and practice. November 25-28, 2025. Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo – São Paulo, Brazil

1st Circular - International Symposium on Science Education and CHAT.pdf

Brett Bligh – March 4, 2026, registration form. 
Designing digital tools using activity theory: Implications of the Change Laboratory approach

While design is central to information systems research, activity theory asks us to problematise the who, what and how of design. In this talk, Brett will consider examples of how the Change Laboratory approach has produced new digital tool designs, primarily within organisations in the higher education sector. Brett will consider the activity system of the design projects themselves, reflect on the process of design using this approach, and consider how technology tools were produced as part of designs for wider activity systems.

Seminarium
Åsa Hirsh, Göteborgs universitet,  vill påminna om seminariet på eftermiddagen den 12 februari, när vi digitalt ska träffa våra norska kollegor för att starta upp ett svensk-norskt CHAT-nätverk med sikte inställt på att bland annat få till en årlig fysisk konferens. "Jag hoppas att många av er kan och vill delta, och har mycket gods förhoppningar om att många goda samverkanstankar kommer att bli tänkta – som i sin tur kan leda till faktiska samarbeten oss emellan" meddelar Åsa. Länk kommer senare.

"CHAT for change" on-campus workshop at University West, 17-19 February

Susanne Bødker - December 10, 2025
Registration form.

Computer Mediated Activity - In her talk, Susanne Bødker will present her many years of work to develop Activity Theoretical thinking in relation to computing, in particular human-computer interaction and computer-supported cooperative work.

Susanne Bødker is professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Denmark

International Symposium on CHAT and Change Laboratory in East Asia (November 15–16, Kansai University, Osaka, Japan)

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the International Symposium on Cultural-historical Activity Theory and Change Laboratory in East Asia will be held at Kansai University in Osaka, Japan, on November 15 (Saturday)–16 (Sunday), 2025. Participation is free of charge, and the program is as follows. For more detailed information, please visit the following website:

https://pin-m3.sakura.ne.jp/CHATASIA/

To register for the event, please use the “Click here to register” link on this website. We look forward to the participation of all those interested.

Organizer: The research group of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science’s Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) “Making an expansive school: Toward forming transformative agency” (PI: Katsuhiro Yamazumi, Project number: 22H00084)

Pauliina Rantavuori: School supports adolescent students in identifying what is important and significant to them
Tampere University
Location: Kanslerinrinne 1, Tampere. City centre campus, Pinni B, auditorium B1096 and remote connection
Date: 21.11.2025 12.00–16.00 (UTC+2)
Language: English
Websites: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-4176-3
Entrance fee: Free of charge
Join online

CHAT perspectives on Agency, Mediation and AI: FERA CHAT SIG Seminar

Our Finnish Educational Research Association’s (FERA) CHAT SIG is happy to let you know that we are hosting an online seminar on artificial intelligence, agency and mediation as part of the annual FERA conference. 

The seminar will be held on Wednesday 5.11.2025 09.00 - 12.00 (UTC+3) and will take place online with no cost to participants. The link to the event will be shared with all registered participants. 

The seminar will start with a keynote on the theme by professor Helena Lindgren (Umeå University, Sweden) followed with a commentary by professor Annalisa Sannino (Tampere University, Finland). 

After this a panelist of experts (senior lecturer Hongzhi Yang, University of Sydney, senior researcher Henriikka Vartiainen, University of Eastern Finland, professor Stan Karanasios, University of Queensland) will deepen the discussion with perspectives from their research and with futher commentaries by our keynoter professor Lindgren and professor Yrjö Engeström (University of Helsinki, Finland). 

The seminar will close with a Q&A between the panelists and the audience.  

Registration for the pre-seminar via the link below by Monday 3.11 the latest.

https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/135768/lomake.html

 

DATIS at CAT seminar

Brian Chirchir (young scholar) – November 19, 2025
Registration form. 

Seminar title: Learning to See Work Differently: A Research Journey with Activity Theory
In this presentation, Brian shares his experience using Activity Theory to study how IT project managers in small and medium organisations adapt to AI. He will explain why Activity Theory turned out to be an unexpectedly valuable framework for understanding the attitudes and practices of project managers as they integrate AI into their daily activities. He will also discuss the challenges he faced while applying Activity Theory as a first-time researcher and what this experience taught him about sense-making in complex digital work environments.

Professor Stan Karanasios – September 17, 2025

Seminar title: Activity theory in a digital world
In this presentation, he reflects on 15 years of engaging with activity theory to study technology in organizations and society more broadly. He examines the challenges it faces in staying relevant in an increasingly digital world and explores the opportunities it offers for addressing emerging theoretical questions, particularly in relation to the expanding role of artificial intelligence.

Paul Kelly – October 15, 2025

Seminar title: Activity theory and socio-technical change: changes, histories, and contradictions from the non-profit world.
In this second DATIS seminar, Paul explores activity theory to understand socio-technical change in non-profit organizations. He reviews CHAT concepts, cases from early phone-based services to digitalised systems, and highlights contradictions shaping civil society. The talk examines innovation, risks, and dilemmas as non-profits modernise while preserving volunteer ethos and community impact.

International PhD Course: Work-integrated learning in CHAT-driven research, 5 ECTS

Work-integrated learning in CHAT-driven research is open for registration. To register, scroll down to "open for late application" and fill in the form. Registration is open until the end of August.

Senior publication seminar at University West

The first senior (no PhD students) is scheduled for 28th August. Send your work in progress to Maria.spante@hv.se for distribution to readers, one week prior to the seminar.

Guangzhou, China - June 6, 2025

HOW CHANGE LABORATORIES CAN TRANSFORM SCHOOLING - CULTURALLY RESPONSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY

How can researchers take a stance alongside teachers and school leaders in school transformation? Change Laboratories offer a means to do this: they work by presenting tools promoting affective engagement with meaningful issues in practice and intellectual distancing to deeply understand problems. Participant-generated tools bring these together and help to set the direction for change. This change is not incremental improvement but a fundamental redesign of activity into a ‘created new’ form. In this talk Nick will show how this process unfolded in two schools in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. In the first school, teachers transcended a conflict between needing to cover curriculum content, and wanting students to be more active in class. In the second school, teachers developed a new collaborative way of using local cultural, spiritual and Indigenous heritage as a basis for integrated approaches to teaching and learning. These have since become a signature pedagogy for the school.

May 29 at 11AM CST. Join on Zoom.

Hopwood visit-May25-v2.pdf

Dear colleagues, for the launch of the book Transforming & Understanding: An Introduction to Cultural-Historical Activity Theory by Yannick Lémonie, published by Peter Lang in February, a panel discussion will be held online on 18 March 2025 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Paris time).
 
The participants in this panel discussion will be:
 
- Yrjö Engeström (University of Helsinki, Finland)
- Annalisa Sannino (University of Tampere, Finland)
- Brett Bligh (University of Lancaster, UK)
- Monica Lemos (São Paulo, Brasil)
- Nick Hopwood (University of Technology, Sydney, Australia)
- Pauliina Rantavuori (University of Tampere, Finland)
 
Registration is compulsory. The link to connect via the Zoom software will be sent to registrants on 16 March 2025. A recording will be available afterward for those who have registered.
 
The registration link

WHICEB 2025 ANCILLARY WORKSHOP
- DEVELOPING ACTIVITY THEORY IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS (DATIS)

 

Online PhD course open for everyone interested in Activity theory and work 

https://www.hv.se/en/education/forskarutbildning/work-integrated-learning-in-chat-driven-research-part-time-distance-ailf100/

See the study guide

The MOOC on Key Concepts of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (1-5 credits) will take place from September 16, 2024 to December 11, 2024. 

The application period will start on August 15 and end on September 1. Please notice that it will not be possible to accept registrations before or after these dates and outside the link which will become available on the course webpage. 

The MOOC is free of charge

FERA CHAT SIG’s pre-conference seminar (free-of-cost and online) focusing on dialectics of transformation in educational research. The seminar will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday 20.11.2024 (Finnish time, GMT+3). Please find more information on the seminar below and attached.

Register for the seminar by 18.11 via: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/129318/lomake.html

Assistant professor of communication studies Alex Levant from Wilfrid Laurier University will deliver a keynote on Ilyenkov’s understanding of dialectics and its relevance to cultural historical activity theory and followed by a short discussion with the audience. The seminar will then continue with a panel discussion involving senior lecturer Brett Bligh (Lancaster University), professor Catherine Hasse (Aarhus University), professor Sami Paavola (University of Helsinki), professor Annalisa Sannino (Tampere University) and Peter Sawchuk (University of Toronto) who all will discuss why and how dialectics in educational research as well as what does dialectics mean in their work.

Read more about the FERA CHAT seminar

There will be a Pre-ECIS 2024 “Developing Activity Theory in Information Studies” (DATIS) Online Talk, planned for 7 June, presented by Professor Clay Spinuzzi, from the University of Texas at Austin, US. Details are below. 

Date: Friday 7 June, 2024

Start Time: 11 am UK / 5 am Austin US / 8 pm Brisbane Australia

Duration: 1 hour

Title of Talk: "‘Fourth-generation activity theory is about WHAT?’ Thinking through our mission(s) for 4GAT"

Abstract: In "The future of activity theory: A rough draft" (2009), Yrjö Engeström suggested that a fourth generation of activity theory (4GAT) might be needed to address social production and peer production, in which "the boundaries and structures of activity systems seem to fade away." Some of us interpreted Engeström as addressing post-bureaucratic society, specifically changes in work organization. But his later work demonstrates that he is instead addressing post-market society, specifically alternatives to capitalism. Can a single 4GAT address both? And what does IS as a field need from a 4GAT?

Meeting Format:        Online Zoom Call

Meeting URL:             https://essex-university.zoom.us/j/99552841813?from=addon

Meeting ID:                 995 5284 1813

Please email to Paul Kelly (p.kelly@essex.ac.uk) to confirm if you will be able to join us for this talk, or for any questions about the event.

This online talk is a special pre-cursor to the DATIS Workshop scheduled for 16 June at the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) in Paphos, Cyprus. For more information about the ECIS DATIS Workshop, see the ECIS Workshops page here.

 

Work-integrated learning in CHAT drive research will be the focus of the WILCHAT seminar series. 
The format is 30 minutes of presentation followed by 20 minutes of discussion. The presentations are recorded and available for those who have registered for the seminar.

Time: March 20th, 14-15 swedish time 
Presenter: Brett Bligh 
Topic: WIL in University using CHAT. 
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/pWZzSR5eBR

Time: May 22nd, 14-15 swedish time 
Presenter: Annalisa Sannino 
Topic: Presenting her book chapter about problem identification in work-integrated learning working with homelessness 
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/9fzVLDUxnj

Time: June 16th 9am-5pm swedish time 
Event: Workshop "Developing Activity Theory in Information Studies (DATIS)"
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/FFLLasxLKS

Time: September 26th, 14-15 swedish time 
Presenter: Jaakko Hillpö 
Topic: Presenting his work on preschool professionals and work integrated learning with a CHAT perspective 
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/bwCPk0KKsR

Time: October 23rd, 14-15 swedish time 
Presenter: James Garraway 
Topic: Presenting his work on Change laboratories for WIL students in higher education
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/JfmuwVEP2b

Time: November 20th, 14-15 swedish time 
Presenter: Lazaro Herrera 
Topic: Presenting his work in vocational training with a CHAT perspective 
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/9nvVg7QFGw

Time: December 11th, 14-15 swedish time 
Presenter: Monika Hattinger  
Topic: Presenting her work on professional development in the production industry by Change Laboratory 
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/1s8BpFeBkj

 

Panel discussion
A panel discussion on “Agency and Transformation: Dialogues on Motives, Mediation and Motion” will take place online building on the recently published book edited by Nick Hopwood and Annalisa Sannino for Cambridge University Press: 

When:
February 6 (Tuesday)

6-8am (Sydney); 8-10am (Auckland); 16-18 (São Paulo); 19-21 (Lancaster); 20-22 (Paris); 20-22 (Bologna)

Panelists:  
Prof Nick Hopwood, University of Technology, Sydney 
Dr Brett Bligh, Lancaster University, UK  
Dr Yannick Lemonie, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris  
Dr Monica Lemos, University of São Paulo, Brazil 
Prof Joce Nuttall, University of Canterbury, New Zealand 
Prof Annalisa Sannino, Tampere University, Finland  

Registration to the event is possible till February 4 - Registration link

Dear colleagues, In response to much demand, the Summer School on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory in Practice will be offered as an intensive IN PERSON one week course at the Center for Activity Theory (CAT), University West in Trollhättan, Sweden, starting on June 17 2023. 

The course itself does not entail a fee for doctoral students. Also for Master’s students within EU the course is free of charge. The costs for travel and accommodation are, however, on the participants. 

The official announcement with details on contents and registration will be circulated early in 2024. 

We look forward to an inspiring collective learning experience,

Kristina Johansson (contact: Kristina.Johansson@hv.se), Maria Spante, Annalisa Sannino, David Allen, Dennis Augustsson, Brett Blight, Yrjö Engeström, Monika Hattinger, Stan Karanasios, and Clay Spunuzz

CAT publikationsseminarium
6 mars 2024 samt 8 maj kl 13.30-15.00 i konferensrum Konstantinopel

 
Ongoing course AILF200 31st august - 11th january
Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and related formative intervention methods will be presented, discussed, and evaluated during the course. CHAT-driven research is put in relation to work-integrated learning, and continuous discussions of the connection between work-integrated learning and CHAT-driven research will be held. Furthermore, we will have discussions and problematization of ethical considerations in the planning, implementation and analysis of CHAT-driven research related to work-integrated learning.

1. CHAT SIG Thematic session at FERA

Learn­ing and agency for equity and sustainability: Dia­logue with activ­ity the­ory

Global demands of equity, social justice and environmental sustainability urgently require that actors across sectors and levels learn to pursue concerted willful actions which can lead to effective and flexible solutions. Understanding how in these conditions learning and agency, based on multiple voices of various actors, emerge and how they can be sustained is a crucial educational challenge. These issues are at the core of current developments of cultural-historical activity theory globally and its emerging fourth generation. In this framework, the mentioned educational challenges are typically studied with the help of formative interventions such as the Change Laboratory. 

The thematic group welcomes contributions of all levels – from preliminary to well developed – based on or engaging in dialogue with these theoretical and methodological premises. Contributions to the thematic group will be selected to individual sessions based on their specific focus in order to facilitate in-depth discussions between presenters as well as the audience during each session.

Submit your abstract (max 2000 characters) by end of September.

2. Theory and practice in today’s society: A dialogue between three conceptual frameworks (Pre-conference seminar) 

The notion of practice theory has become a source of vibrant discussions in educational sciences. This pre-seminar at the Finnish Educational Research Association proposes a dialogue between representatives of three conceptual frameworks often referred to as examples of practice theories: the community of practice theory, cultural-historical activity theory, and the theory of practice architectures. The seminar offers a collective reflection from these three perspectives on what is understood as theory and as practice, as well as what might be practical in theory and theoretical in practice.

The seminar opens with a Keynote by Professor Davide Nicolini from University of Warwick, author of the influential volume Practice Theory, Work and Organization (Oxford University Press, 2012) followed by a discussion with the audience. The seminar will then continue with a panel discussion involving Professor Ulf Blossing and Docent Lill Langelotz from University of Gothenburg and Professor Annalisa Sannino from Tampere University with commentaries by the keynote speaker, Professor Nick Hopwood from University of Technology Sydney and by Professor Mervi Kaukko from Tampere University. The seminar is chaired by University Lecturer, PhD Jaakko Hilppö from University of Helsinki.

The pre-seminar will take place online on the afternoon 22nd November (Finnish time, GMT+3) and is free-of-cost.Register for the seminar via: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/124671/lomakkeet.html

3. Symposium: Finnish cultural-historical activity theory, current studies and future directions

This symposium will bring together five teams whose studies build on the research paradigm developed by the Finnish School of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to present and discuss current developments and future directions of this scholarly tradition. The symposium’s main focus is on CHAT Change Laboratory formative interventions, their potential and challenges in fostering participatory analyses and design in response to acute societal needs. The Symposium as a whole will include five presentations, each followed by questions from the audience, and a commentary at the end.

In Symposium Part 1 Professors Emeriti Engeström and Virkkunen will present an analysis of the development of the Finnish School of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory based on eight threshold concepts across published studies between 1970-2022. This presentation will be followed by researcher Tapola-Haapala and co-authors who will share their analysis of expansive learning in Change Laboratories focusing on youth´s experiences of school meaningfulness. Professor Sannino will then follow with an analysis of the multiple roles researchers took in the preparation and realisation of a Change Laboratory carried out in a supported housing unit for vulnerable youth.

Symposium Part 2 will start with a presentation by Professor Kajamaa and co-authors will follow on their analysis of boundary crossing in three Change Laboratory cases in a teacher training school, in a hospital and in a university affiliated new business incubator. Then researchers Lund and Juujärvi will report on their findings from a study aimed at offering digital support via the Change Laboratory-inspired Community Workshops with multiple stakeholders.

The second symposium will end with Professor Toom’s commentary on the studies presented in both symposium parts.

For more on the symposium, see our thematic issue in Kasvatus (Finnish only, article summaries in English). FULL ISSUES: https://journal.fi/kasvatus/issue/view/9643. English summaries: https://journal.fi/kasvatus/article/view/131367.

All activities above are part of the annual FERA conference this year held in Vaasa, Finland between November 23-24, 2023. For more on the conference, see link below: 

https://www.abo.fi/fi/kasvatustieteen-paivat-2023/

CHAT publicationseminar
8 September 14-15.30
11 October 14-15.30

MOOC
There are still a few days to register for the Tampere University MOOC on Key Concepts of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). The essential information and registration link are available on the course webpage: 

https://www.tuni.fi/en/students-guide/curriculum/implementations/otm-2d0e6323-94d5-4a62-800e-1b24d4bb4de4?year=2023

Please notice that accepting registrations after Aug 15th and outside the link will not be possible. 

The MOOC is an excellent opportunity to learn about CHAT for free. Credits can also be obtained for participants from different parts of the world. This MOOC continues discussions started during a reading seminar series that took place during the Academic Year 2022-2023. This MOOC, however, does not require prior knowledge of CHAT. 

MOOC
A Tampere University MOOC is being prepared on Key Concepts of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) which will take place in the fall of 2023. The MOOC is free of charge and credits can also be obtained for participants from different parts of the world. The registration to the MOOC will be possible from August 1st to August 15th on the course webpage.   

Please notice that it will not be possible to accept registrations before or after these dates and outside the link which will be provided on this webpage. 

This MOOC continues discussions started during a reading seminar series that took place during the Academic Year 2022-2023. This MOOC, however, does not require prior knowledge of CHAT. 

CHAT SIG
As part of the Finnish Educational Research Association's (FERA) annual meeting our CHAT SIG is hosting a no-cost, online preseminar on practice theory. The preseminar will take place on the afternoon 22nd November (Finnish time, GMT+3). 

Please find a more detailed description of the preseminar and the registration link below. 

On behalf of the FERA CHAT SIG
Annalisa Sannino & Jaakko Hilppö

***********************

Theory and practice in today’s society: A dialogue between three conceptual frameworks

The notion of practice theory has become a source of vibrant discussions in educational sciences. This pre-seminar at the Finnish Educational Research Association hosts a dialogue between representatives of three conceptual frameworks often referred to as examples of practice theories: the community of practice theory, cultural-historical activity theory, and the theory of practice architectures. The seminar offers a collective reflection from these three perspectives on what is understood as theory and as practice, as well as what might be practical in theory and theoretical in practice.

The seminar opens with a Keynote by Professor Davide Nicolini from University of Warwick, author of the influential volume Practice Theory, Work and Organization (Oxford University Press, 2012) followed by a discussion with the audience. The seminar will then continue with a panel discussion involving Professor Ulf Blossing and Docent Lill Langelotz from University of Gothenburg and Professor Annalisa Sannino from Tampere University with commentaries by the keynote speaker, Professor Nick Hopwood from University of Technology Sydney and by Professor Mervi Kaukko from Tampere University. The seminar is chaired by University Lecturer, PhD Jaakko Hilppö from University of Helsinki.

Register for the pre-seminar via this link: 

https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/124671/lomakkeet.html

Program for the online reading seminars Academic year 2022/2023 

ECIS 2023

12 june 2023
Läs mer

Workshop on ECIS2023
A highly interesting workshop on activity theory at the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2023) conference in June in Kristiansand, Norway. The registration is still open for a few days. Please take a look.

Welcome to the 8th Reading Seminar on Key Concepts from Cultural-Historical Activity Theory 

Date: 19th April  
Time: 15:00-17:00 (time in Sweden) 
Key concept: Historicity

This reading seminar focuses of historicity.

The first article by Engstrom identifies theoretical principles in CHAT where history and historicity are emphasized.

The second article by Lémonie, Grosstephan and Tomás show in what way history becomes incorporated in the analytical work to understand socially pressing issues.

During the seminar we want to discuss how to actively address historicity and we also would like to discuss the difference between addressing history compared to historicity in CHAT driven research.

Readings:

Yrjö Engeström (2001) Expansive Learning at Work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization, Journal of Education and Work, 14:1, 133-156, DOI: 10.1080/13639080020028747

Lémonie Yannick, Grosstephan Vincent, Tomás Jean-Luc (2021) From a Sociological Given Context to Changing Practice: Transforming Problematic Power Relations in Educational Organizations to Overcome Social Inequalities, Frontiers in Psychology vol. 11

If you like to participate, please register and contribute with your questions by the 17th April at this registration link:   Email adress and Qs.docx

The Zoom-link for the meeting will be sent out to the registered participants’ email addresses the day before the meeting. 

Looking forward to learning together! 

Online CL event 8
11 april 15.00-17.00
Contact person: maria.spante@hv.se

Activity Theory publication seminar

Colleagial writing seminar
22 feb 10.00-11.30
12 apr 13.00-14.30
7 jun 10.00-11.30

Summer School "Activity Theory in Practice"

The much awaited Summer School "Activity Theory in Practice" organized by University West in Sweden will take place also this year as an online series of lectures, seminars and meetings starting on Week 23 (June 6) and ending on Week 34 (August 25).

Deadline for applying is the 29th of May 2023:
https://www.hv.se/en/education/third-cycle/activity-theory-in-practice-part-time-distance-atpf010/#register

Online reading seminars

Annalisa Sannino and Helena Wallström are initiating series of online reading seminars on foundational concepts in cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) beginning in the academic year 2022-2023.

 

Welcome to the 7th Reading Seminar on Key Concepts from Cultural-Historical Activity Theory 

Date: 23 March  

Time: 13:00-15:00 (time in Cape Town) 

The germ cell- from Hegel, through Marx, to current work.  

Readings (attached):  
Blunden, A. (2021). The Unit of Analysis and Germ Cell in Hegel, Marx and Vygotsky. In Hegel, Marx and Vygotsky (pp. 34-60). Brill. 

Hedegaard, M. (2020). Ascending from the Abstract to the Concrete in School Teaching-the double Move between Theoretical Concepts and Children's Concepts. Psychological Science & Education, 25(5). 

If you like to participate, please register and contribute with 1-2 questions on the article by the 20th March at this registration link:  

https://forms.office.com/e/TCJEF2y0tY 

The Zoom-link for the meeting will be sent out to the registered participants’ email addresses the day before the meeting. 

Change laboratory for educational development and social transformation. Presentations and discussions on strengts and challenges

27-28 March 2023

Läs mer

TRIP

We are pleased to announce that Professor Jesica de la Torre from ITESO, Mexico, will be kicking off our TRIPP seminar series for 2023 with a presentation of her impressive research project on collective learning. We strongly encourage you and your postgraduate students to join us in engaging with Prof De la Torre in her presentation of this amazing project which is rich with extremely well-conceived and executed research processes, from the conceptualisation, data collection and ethics of the project, to the analyses and representations of data. We are confident that the project's diverse elements of collective agency, university-community relationships, environmental issues, expansive learning, and so forth, will inspire the transformative researcher in you.

Please see the details of this hybrid event in the poster below, with links to the Zoom meeting following:

Topic: TRIP Zoom Meeting
Time: Feb 21, 2023 02:00 PM Johannesburg

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85672468704?pwd=R2xNNG1aS3ArdnVuRlBrOGMzb1Zkdz09

Meeting ID: 856 7246 8704
Passcode: 804765

RESET/CRADLE Online Seminar Series for this academic year.  
February 8 (Wednesday), 20:00-22:30 (Beijing) / 15:00-17:30 (Tampere/Helsinki) 
Topic: “Redesigning teacher education: A Change Laboratory at Capital Normal University, Beijing”  

Speaker: 
Ge Wei, PhD, Associate Professor, Director of Research Center for Children and Teacher Education, College of Elementary Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing  

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS FEB 8 SEMINAR! 

Brochure of the event | Abstract

Welcome to RESET/CRADLE Online Seminar  2022
The theme is “Beyond vulnerabilities with activity theoretical research”.

Additional information and link for registration

Reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023

Welcome to the 5th reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023 on Key Concepts in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). This time we will discuss about Transformative agency (and the role of the researcher). We will meet online the 18th of January 14:00 to 16:00 pm Chilean Time - 19:00 to 21:00 Finnish time 
Together we will discuss on the articles:

1. Hopwood, N. (2022). Agency in cultural-historical activity theory: strengthening commitment to social transformation. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 29(2), 108-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039.2022.2092151

2. Sannino, A. (2015). The principle of double stimulation: A path to volitional action. Learning, culture and social interaction, 6, 1-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2015.01.001

If you would like to participate, please register in the form in the following link by the 14th of January, 2023:

https://forms.gle/b3rjUXW1waGbtDT4A

Looking forward to meeting with you all!

Best regards and Happy New Year 2023!!

Viviana Hojman and Pilar Valenzuela
Universidad del Desarrollo
Chile

Welcome to the fourth reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023 on Key Concepts in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT).
We will meet online the 16th of December from 9:00 to 11:30 am Brazil time. This corresponds to 14:00 to 16:30 Finnish time, or 13:00 to 15:30 Central European time (CET).

Together we will discuss and work on the article:
Engeström, Y & Sannino, A. (2011) Discursive manifestations of contradictions in organizational change efforts. Journal Of Organizational Change Management. 24(3), 368-387. 

If you would like to participate, please register, and answer a question in the form in the following link prior to 9 of December: Link to registration here!

 

2022-12-07  -  2022-12-09 WIL CONference 

We invite scholars with genuine interdisciplinary perspectives as well as practitioners, collaboration partners and actors with cross-sector ambitions to take on challenges and opportunities to co-create a more sustainable world. For more information read here!

2022-12-01 ONLINE CL EVENT 7

An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site. Please contact Maria Spante if you would like to join.

2022-11-24 - 2022-11-25 Annual finnish Educational research association (FERA) Conference

The call for the annual meeting of the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Special Interest Group at the FERA conference (Kasvatustieteenpäivät) is now open. The conference will take place in hybrid format this year 24- 25 november, organized by the University of Oulu. If you are conducting research applyingor in dialogue with CHAT, this is an opportunity to get to know CHAT colleagues from Finland and abroad to share ideas and engage in discussions. The DL for abstracts (max. 2000 characters) is 3.10 and notification of acceptance will be sent by 18.10 ​at the latest. More details on the SIG and the annual FERA conference ​in the links below. The thematic group will be organised in hybrid form to facilitate online and in-person participation.

Links:

SIG short description
Conference website in both Finnish and English 
​Instructions to submit an abstract*
Conference registration and fees

* When submitting an abstract, please make sure to indicate in the appropriate section of the form that you are submitting to the SIG 14 "Learning and agency for equity and sustainability: Dialogue with activity theory"

2022-11-23 FERA CHAT SIG Pre-Seminar: "Fostering development and transformation in and beyond the academia with cultural-historical activity theory

You are warmly welcome to the Finnish Educational Research Association's CHAT SIG pre-conference seminar "Fostering development and transformation in and beyond the academia with cultural-historical activity theory”.

The pre-seminar will be held on Wednesday 23rd of November between 12:15 - 15:45 o’clock (Eastern European Standard Time, GMT+2). 

The seminar is free of charge and participation online is possible. Please find the program for the seminar and the necessary zoom connection information below.  

12:15 Opening words and welcome, Professor Annalisa Sannino, Tampere University

12:20 Keynote: "Change Laboratories in Higher Education", Professor James Garraway, Professional Education Research Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

13:00 Commentary by Vesa Korhonen, Docent and Senior University Lecturer, Tampere University

13:10 Discussion with participants 

13:45 Break

14:00 Participant presentation and panel discussion: "CHAT in Academia"
(Chair, Postdoctoral Researcher Liubov Vetoshkina, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies)  

* presentation by PhD Researcher Guillaume Isaac, Université Côte d’Azur: 
"Conflicts of motives and contradictions in co-creative real-world problem-solving activities in higher education"

* presentation by Professor Annalisa Sannino, Tampere University: 
"Cultural-historical activity theory and dialectics for a transformative agency agenda in higher education: The example of a formative intervention on academic dishonesty"

14:45 Discussion on presentations with panelists Professor James Garraway, Professor Yrjö Engeström, the presenters and the participants 
(Chair, PhD, University Lecturer Jaakko Hilppö, University of Helsinki) 

15:45 Closing remarks 

2022-11-08-09 CHAT seminars and round table discussions  

Our invited scholar Dr. Brett Bligh is a Lecturer in the Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, and co-Director of the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning. His research interrogates the nexus of technology mediation, physical environment, and institutional change in higher education. Brett’s work prioritises Activity Theory conceptions of human practice, and interventionist methodologies.

Most welcome to University Weas and join the CHAT seminars and round table diskussions on campus live.

For more information please contact maria.spante@hv.se

2022-11-08 CHAT reading seminar

Welcome to the third CHAT reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023 on Artifacts and Instrumentality. The online meeting is scheduled on the 8th of November from 6:30 to 9:30 PM (Paris, France).  

Together we will discuss the following texts : 

Rabardel, P. & Samurçay, R. (2001). From artifact to instrument-mediated learning. Paper presented at the international symposium ’New Challenges to Research on Learning', Helsinki, 21-23 March 2001 (can be found here).

Ritella, G., & Hakkarainen, K. (2012). Instrumental genesis in technology-mediated learning: From double stimulation to expansive knowledge practices. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 7(2), 239-258. doi:10.1007/s11412-012-9144-1 (can be found here).

If you would like to participate, please register and contribute with 1-2 questions on the texts before November 6 by using the following link!

The Zoom-link for the meeting will be sent out to the registered participants’ email addresses the day before the meeting. 

2022-10-03  -  2022-10-07
LINA WEEK at university west read more here

LINA week! 

More information can be found here

2022-09-22 Reading seminar on key concepts in cultural-historical activity theory

Welcome to the first reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023 on Key Concepts in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). We will meet online the 22nd of September at 1- 4 PM Swedish time.

Together we discuss the following article: Engeström, Y & Sannino, A. (2020). From mediated actions to heterogenous coalitions: Four generations of activity-theoretical studies of work and learning. Mind, Culture, and Activity. 28(1),  4-23. 

If you like to participate, please register and contribute with 1-2 questions on the article before the 15th of September at the following link: Link to registration 

The Zoom-link for the meeting will be sent out to the registered participants’ email addresses the day before the meeting.

2022-09-14 ONLINE CL EVENT 6

An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site. Please contact Maria Spante if you would like to join.

2022-09-12 Research seminar on AT in scientific work.

Invited scholars on campus at University West Trollhättan. The seminar is in English.
Time 12-14.  For more information please contact Maria Spante.

2022-09-07  -  2022-09-09 
OLkC 2022 conference organized By UNIversity West, Sweden

Call for papers! Deadline to submit extended abstract April 10. 

More information can be found here

2022-06-13--16 
Nordic-Baltic ISCAR 2022 conference organized in Helsinki 

Call for abstracts:https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/nordic-baltic-iscar-2022

2022-06-02  Implementing and Developing Change Laboratories: Lessons from Africa 

An international online event on Implementing and Developing Change Laboratories: Lessons from Africa on June 2 (12:00-16:00) and June 3 (9:00-12:00) – local time in Cape Town, South Africa. The event aims at gaining an overview of research conducted in the African continent using the Change Laboratory in different settings. The event serves the purpose of identifying and sharing insights and perspectives which can inform Change Laboratory research globally. 

The program and invitation attached. The event is free of charge but requires a registration by the 30^thof March through this link: https://forms.office.com/r/Pe2FCmz8zt The participants registered to the event will receive selected publications to read beforehand and a personal link to access the event. 

2022-05-16 Seminar and Panel Discussion on Practice Theories 

May 16th, 16.00-18.00 (local time in Sweden) 

According to Nicolini (2012) "practice theories constitute a rather broad family of theoretical approaches connected by a web of historical and conceptual similarities". There are, however, also decisive differences between them. This seminar and panel discussion aims to make visible and understandable a) what is significant and specific to each of these three examples of practice theories, and b) how the theories converge and diverge. 

 The event are open to all interested  colleagues and students via the following link:  https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/520814434 

2022-05-12 The Transformative Research in Practice (TRiP) 

The Transformative Research in Practice (TRiP) Research Collective invites researchers who are interested in exploring a range of Transformative Research methodologies together. We plan to hold monthly reading seminars, in which we ​discover, investigate, develop and experiment with arts-based, and transformative research practices, such as the expansive learning framework from cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT). Details will be shared at the launch on Thursday. 

2022-05-11 Lecture and Discussion on "Activity Theory, Formative Interventions and the Change Laboratory" 

May 11, 2022 16:00-18:00 (local time in Sweden) 

Visiting Professor Annalisa will talk about activity theory, formative interventions and the Change Laboratory also in comparison with other (related) intervention approaches, such as action research. The seminar is given in collaboration with the Board of Educational Leadership.  

The event are open to all interested  colleagues and students via the following link:  https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/520814434 

2022-05-06 DEVELOPING EDUCATION AND THE PREREQUISITES FOR LEARNING WITH
CHAT, CHANGE LABORATORY AND ART.

The seminar is about developing education and the prerequisites for learning with
CHAT, Change Laboratory and art.

Our invited guests Anne Bationo-Tillon and Yannick  Lemoine work with cultural-historical activity theory and welcome dialogue around this theory and related methodology. Round table discussion will only be held at University West in Trollhättan, Sweden.
10.15-11.00 Webinar https://hv-se.zoom.us/my/lina.webinar
11.15-12.00 Round table discussion at campus in J111 not at Zoom.

No registration - For more information please contact maria.spante@hv.se

2022-05-05 Work against unequal access to educational success

The seminar focus on how to work against unequal access to educational success

Our invited guests Anne Bationo-Tillon and Yannick  Lemoine work with cultural-historical activity theory and welcome dialogue around this theory and related methodology. Round table discussion will only be held at University West in Trollhättan, Sweden
13.15-14.00 Webinar https://hv-se.zoom.us/my/lina.webinar
14.15-15.00 Round table discussion at campus in J113 not at Zoom.

No registration - For more information please contact maria.spante@hv.se

2022-03-31 Developing organizations with cultural-historical activity theory, and vice-versa

Seminar with Dr Jaakko Hilppö  from the University of Helsinki. 

Summary for the seminar:
"In this talk, I will present three lines of ongoing investigation opened by me and my colleagues to develop organizations and practices with the help of cultural-historical activity theory. Throughout my talk, I will also discuss how each line of investigation contributes to the ongoing development of cultural-historical activity theory."

2022-02-28 Online cl event 5

An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.

2021-11-30 Online cl event 4

An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.

2021-11-26 fera chat sig 

Presentation of collective paper by an international groupe of resarchers about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.

2021-11-25 fera chat sig 

Presentation of collective paper by an international groupe of resarchers about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.

2021-09-30 collaborative Writing on zoom and google docs 

International groupe of resarchers meet online and write about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.

2021-09-28 collaborative Writing on zoom and google docs 

International groupe of resarchers meet online and write about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.

2021-09-27 collaborative Writing on zoom and google docs 

International groupe of resarchers meet online and write about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.

2021-09-09 Online cl event 3

An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.

2021-10-06  webinar with Professor Clay Spinuzzi  from the University of Texas, at Austin, USA with the title A typology of different work configurations.

Topic: 
What do teams try to accomplish at work? The question seems simple—until you actually observe people working. Then it becomes obvious that teams can (and usually do) try to accomplish many things simultaneously, including internal cohesion and dynamics, regularly produced outcomes with tight tolerances, arms’-length transactions, and creative problem-solving. That is to say, they often have multiple objects, and these imply different activities and thus different configurations for work.

Here, we will discuss a typology for understanding such objects, the work configurations that they necessitate, and the tensions across these work configurations. We will examine changes in labor over the past 50 years that have led to current work configurations and we will look at cases that illustrate them. Finally, we will discuss ways to intervene at the level of activity, addressing organization-level disruptions. 

2021-05-04 Online cl event 2

An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.

2021-03-09 Online cl event 1

An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.

the release party of activity theory centre  13th of August 2021

A grand opening of the activity theory centre took place with our Vice Chancellor  Martin Hellström to celebrate the opening of the centre.On link was Professor Yrjö Engström University of Helsinki, Finland and Professor Annalisa Sannino Tampere University, Finland.In the studio was Associate professor Kristina Johansson, Vice Chancellor Martin Hellström, Professor Lars Svensson and Professor Ulrika Lundh Snis.