VIGOTSKY THEORY

VIGOTSKY THEORY

1. Mainly concerned with the more complex cognitive activities of children that are governed and influenced by several principles

   • Believing that children construct knowledge actively, Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory is also one of those responsible for laying the groundwork for constructivism.

2. eveloped a theory of development known as the Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development in the early twentieth century.

   • Vygotsky’s main assertion was that children are entrenched in different sociocultural contexts and their cognitive development is advanced through social interaction with more skilled individuals.
     • "Learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function" (1978, p. 90)
       • Individual development cannot be understood without reference to the social and cultural context within which it is embedded
         • Vygotsky claimed that infants are born with the basic materials/abilities for intellectual development
           • o Attention o Sensation o Perception o Memory
             • Vygotsky refers to tools of intellectual adaptation - these allow children to use the basic mental functions more effectively/adaptively, and these are culturally determined
               • The tools of intellectual adaptation, therefore, vary from culture to culture - as in the memory example.
               • Zone of Proximal Development
                 • relates to the difference between what a child can achieve independently and what a child can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner
                   • 1: It is the main means by which adults transmit information to children. 2: Language itself becomes a very powerful tool of intellectual adaptation.
                     • How to use this at classroom=
                       • A contemporary educational application of Vygotsky's theories is "reciprocal teaching," used to improve students' ability to learn from text. In this method, teachers and students collaborate in learning and practicing four key skills: summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting. The teacher's role in the process is reduced over time.
                       • Also, Vygotsky is relevant to instructional concepts such as "scaffolding" and "apprenticeship," in which a teacher or more advanced peer helps to structure or arrange a task so that a novice can work on it successfully.
                         • Perhaps the main criticism of Vygotsky's work concerns the assumption that it is relevant to all cultures. Rogoff (1990) dismisses the idea that Vygotsky's ideas are culturally universal and instead states the concept of scaffolding - which is heavily dependent on verbal instruction - may not be equally useful in all cultures for all types of learning. Indeed, in some instances, observation and practice may be more effective ways of learning certain skills.
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                           • References
                             • Behrend, D.A., Rosengren, K.S., & Perlmutter, M. (1992). The relation between private speech and parental interactive style. In R.M. Diaz & L.E. Berk (Eds.), Private speech: From social interaction to self-regulation (pp. 85–100). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Berk, L. E. (1986). Relationship of elementary school children's private speech to behavioral accompaniment to task, attention, and task performance. Developmental Psychology, 22(5), 671. Berk, L. & Garvin, R. (1984). Development of private speech among low-income Appalachian children. Developmental Psychology, 20(2), 271-286. Berk, L. E., & Landau, S. (1993). Private speech of learning-disabled and normally achieving children in classroom academic and laboratory contexts. Child Development, 64, 556–571. Diaz, R. M., & Berk, L. E. (1992). Private speech: From social interaction to self-regulation. Lawrence Erlbaum.
       • Social Influences on Cognitive Development
         • According to Vygotsky (1978), much important learning by the child occurs through social interaction with a skillful tutor. The tutor may model behaviors and/or provide verbal instructions for the child. Vygotsky refers to this as cooperative or collaborative dialogue. The child seeks to understand the actions or instructions provided by the tutor (often the parent or teacher) then internalizes the information, using it to guide or regulate their own performance.
           • More Knowledgeable Other
             • The more knowledgeable other (MKO) is somewhat self-explanatory; it refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or concept.
               • Although the implication is that the MKO is a teacher or an older adult, this is not necessarily the case. Many times, a child's peers or an adult's children may be the individuals with more knowledge or experience.
                 • Vygotsky and Language
                   • Vygotsky believed that language develops from social interactions, for communication purposes. Vygotsky viewed language as man’s greatest tool, a means for communicating with the outside world.

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   • He believed strongly that community plays a central role in the process of "making meaning.

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• Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory (Embed)