The interaction of human beings with their environments is rarely direct; behind each one of the direct interactions usually stands a previously mediated interaction. The environment of young children is rather tightly controlled by adults who select, amplify, and interpret different features of this environment for children. As children grow up their understanding of the world becomes more and more mediated by symbolic tools: texts, pictures, diagrams, and formulae. These tools in their turn are acquired via different structured activities: games, formal learning, work apprenticeships, and so on. Greater attention to mediated interactions helps us to understand how a brain becomes a “human mind” in the sense of being shaped by interactions specific to human society in all their various historical and cultural forms.

Symbolic tools represent, organize, and transform our knowledge of objects and events. The acquisition and internalization of symbolic tools change the way we think about the world. Different cultural subgroups use different symbolic tools and as a result, they shape their cognitive processes, even those as basic as spatial memory, differently. Moreover, some of the psychological functions that at the first glance should progress developmentally irrespective of the person’s experience actually depend on the acquisition and mastery of specific tools, for example, the graphic representation of objects. Even in societies with formal educational systems, the teaching of symbolic tools as tools is often neglected. Tables, graphs, and formulae appear as a part of the content material instead of being learned as specific tools. Many of the problem-solving mistakes made by students, for example in international exams such as PISA and TIMMS, reflect their poor mastery of symbolic tools rather than a lack of curricular knowledge. Educational interventions aimed at teaching students how to identify and apply the instrumental properties of symbolic tools lead to improved problem-solving in subjects ranging from mathematics to foreign language learning.

The introductory chapter provides a general overview of the five pivotal topics of the science of the cultural mind. The first topic is that of mediated learning. Human learning is rarely direct; it is often mediated by other human beings, by symbolic tools, and by socioculturally constructed activities. The second topic focuses on mediation provided by symbolic tools. These tools are specific for different cultures and subcultures and impact the development of cognitive and learning abilities. The third topic concerns the so-called leading activities. It is argued that child development can be viewed as a sequence of periods each of which is associated with a different socioculturally constructed predominant activity. The fourth topic is on learning potential. While the typical intelligence or achievement tests evaluate what children can do at a given moment, the learning potential tests help us to understand what children will be capable of doing tomorrow if the appropriate help is given to them. The last topic is cognitive education. For future-oriented education, it is essential to include the development of thinking skills in the regular school curriculum.