Productive learning practice – a theoretical discussion based on two cases

In this article, we frame productive learning in a sociocultural perspective to show how it ties into a cluster of concepts on activity and transformation and illuminates the relation between learning processes and learning products. Based on two case studies, we argue that understanding learning as action entails developing the students’ argumentative competency. Activities do not, however, per se support productive learning. Educational activities may be reproductive, unproductive and even counterproductive. We ask if the learning potential in conflict and disruption is underestimated, and we argue, with reference to Dewey and Bakhtin, that students in higher education learn more productively when they are exposed to the divergent voices and conflicting perspectives of the research community. The educational challenge is to structure multivoiced learning processes that are conducive for the learning outcomes.