Literate Activity Resources

Use the GWRJ Tags to find published pieces on CHAT (cultural-historical activity theory), trajectories of texts and genres, and writing practices (spaces, materials, and tools).

In this ISU Writing Program YouTube video, we show how to use cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to talk and think about writing as a situated social activity. We describe how writers can use CHAT to see the people, goals, tools, rules, communities, and activity that make writing both complex and learnable.

In this ISU Writing Program creation, we share 3 ways to use CHAT mapping: as a writing research tool, a genre research tool, and a literate activity research tool. We also share the published research that we have relied on as we have continued to develop using CHAT mapping as a research and writing tool in the ISU Writing Program.

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1. CHAT Mapping a Text - Visual - a writing research tool to learn more about an individual text that we can research, describe, and analyze.

2. CHAT Mapping a Genre - Visual - a genre research tool to learn more about a genre that we can research, describe, and analyze.

3. CHAT Mapping an Activity - Visual - a literate activity tool to learn more about any kind of activity that we can research, describe, and analyze.

In this university talk, Dr. Joyce R. Walker explains what cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) can do when it’s used to teach writing. Walker uses her own writing practices, drawings, and narrative to unpack how CHAT helps writers see our own writing practices in order to be effective in particular writing situations.

In this ISU Writing Program Word Bird video, we show how human beings and non-human things are all actors that influence human behavior. We describe how we see activity theory as a way to understand how people, objects, and ideas work together to make things happen in the world.

In this YouTube video presentation, Amy Zawistowski applies the components of an activity system (people, tools, rules, communities, goals, artifacts) to a digital marketing plan for a small business. In doing so, Zawistowski shows how to break down and understand a specific writing situation in the complex activity system of a workplace.

In this research article, Dr. Kirsten Foot explores cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) as a tool to analyze complex and evolving professional practices, especially reflective research. Foot breaks down parts of activity systems to show how CHAT provides a framework for analyzing human interactions, communication, and organizations, considering their cultural, historical, political and economic dimensions.