This open access book introduces the legacy of Piotr Galperin to a wider
audience of researchers, educators and psychologists. Previous
translations of Galperin's work present only some aspects of his
conceptual thinking; however, his main contribution to the general,
genetic and pedagogical psychology as a unique holistic and systemic
approach to studying of psychological phenomena and processes,
mechanisms of their formation and development, is still quite unknown in
most parts of the world.
The eight lectures chosen for the book have been translated from Russian
for the first time, and they belong to the Study of the Formation of
Human Mental Activity from Galperin's collection of the Lectures in
Psychology (Galperin, 2002). These eight lectures present the central
ideas of Galperin's pedagogical theory, and they conceptualise learning
to learn approach and argue how teaching and learning process can
enhance the development of higher mental functions with learners and
therefore enhance the development of students as learners. These ideas
may be of primary importance to educational practitioners and
researchers interested in developmental learning and teaching approach
given the current concerns of educational practice that schools struggle
to prepare students for their adult and the need to develop the capacity
in lifelong learning with students in the 21st century.