Activity theory, referred to as cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), helps to understand how complex systems function. It breaks away from focusing solely on the individual or cognitive processes to being able to describe actions within socio-technical systems. It helps to understands its creation in the wider historical context. In the 1920s [[Behaviourism|behaviourism]] and [[Psychoanalysis|psychoanalysis]] were the dominant psychological methods. However, [[Lev Vygotsky]] found the former (behaviourism's) focus on stimulus-response to be too simplistic to represent the complexities of human consciousness and creativity; whilst the latter (psychoanalysis) overemphasised unconscious and biological drives. He wanted to bring in culture into our understanding of human beings, which laid the foundation for activity theory. --- The **subject** works towards an **object**, with the help of **tools**. That may be a baker (subject) works towards producing bread to satisfy customers (object), with the help of an oven (tool). This process of a subject working towards an object is what makes the process an activity, otherwise it would just be non-directed rambling around. --- TODO: * Add diagram * Talk about engrestrom * Talking about expanding, and the arising out of the clash of different activity systems that we operate inside of ... * At a better definition of what it actually is * Add some examples about how it is used with relation to educational technology