Transcript Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky

LEV SEMYONOVICH VYGOTSKY
Social Cognitive Views of Learning
and the Zone of Proximal Development
Christine Mingus
Classroom Management University of Richmond Summer 2011
Biographical Information
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L. S. Vygotsky(b.1896 – d.1934) was a
Soviet psychologist whose work in the
fields of child development and
education continue to shape social
cognitive views of learning
Most of his major work was developed in one
prolific decade (1924 – 34), in which he wrote
some 200 works
His most important publication was Thought and
Language (published in English in1962)
Vygotsky and Piaget: Compare/Contrast
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Similarities:
Both men were born in the same year (1896)
 While neither received any training in formal
psychology, both men would exert great
influence on developmental psychology and
educational theory
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Differences:
Piaget: placed emphasis on structural aspects
and the biological origin of development
 Vygotsky: ‘stressed the contribution of culture,
social interaction, and the historical dimension of
mental development ‘ (Ivic, p. 1)
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The sociability of the child
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Social interaction plays a formative role (a
constructive function) in the child’s development and
education
Vygotsky wrote in 1932 that:
“It is through the mediation of others, through the
mediation of the adult, that the child undertakes
activities. Absolutely everything in the behavior of the
child is merged and rooted in social relations. Thus, the
child’s relations with reality are from the start social
relations…” (Ivic, p. 3)
Vygotsky’s Educational Theories
Social Cognitive Theory: people are active (and not passive)
participants in their education.
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Education should be student-centered
“Education contains nothing that is external to development”
(Ivic, p. 8)
Comprehension is a social constructivist process. It provides the
tools a child needs to develop internal processes and intellectual
operations
View of the child as a social being
The social context of learning: students should be taught within
their zone of proximal development (ZPD) (the level at which
students can learn with the support of a more knowledgeable
other -MKO)
Learning results from both direct experience and social
interaction: “we learn from and with others”: a cooperative and
interactive learning environment is essential in fostering students’
full engagement in the classroom
Criticisms
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Some argue that his theories are insufficiently developed and
operational – for example, “his theoretical arguments are not
illustrated or supplemented by appropriate methodology.” (Ivic, p.
9)
While he emphasized the constructive contributions made by society
and culture, he “never really managed to work out a critical
analysis, in the modern sense, of those institutions.” (Ivic, p. 9)
Those very institutions, if disturbed, may be seriously damaging to
individuals overall
He does not pay enough attention to specific teaching methods
Vygotsky rejected the importance of other ways of learning (though
non-verbal imitation and self-discovery) (Gunning, p. 6)
Learning Potential
Vygotsky distinguished between students’
actual and potential development
 Actual:
what the child has learned up to the point of
instruction (the level at which he or she is already
functioning)
 Potential
achieving
(the goal): what the child is capable of
The Zone of Proximal Development
(ZPD)
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Between these two levels is the ZPD:
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“The distance between the actual developmental level as
determined by independent problem solving and the level of
potential development as determined through problem solving
under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable
peers” (Vygotsky, p. 84).
“Development is more productive if children are exposed to new
learning precisely within their proximal zone of development. In
this zone and with adult assistance children would be able to
assimilate more easily what they would be incapable of
assimilating if left to themselves.” (Ivic, p. 10)
Effective educators must create meaningful learning contexts to
construct knowledge and build upon what the child already knows
Social Cognitive Theory In the Classroom
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Teaching should be directed
towards a child’s emerging skills
(in the ZPD)
Activate prior knowledge via
learning exercises(for example,
think-alouds, K-W-Ls) in the
anticipatory set of a lesson
Teacher models by example
Provide collaborative hand-on
experiences and group activities
(authentic tasks that build rigor,
relevance, and relationships)
Scaffold to provide support,
then release control to student
as they demonstrate
competence and confidence
Encourage dialogue (between
students and teacher and
between peers) – create a
verbal rich environment
Create an environment of
inclusion to foster students’
positive feelings about school
and their abilities
Art Ex class with Ms. Mingus (spring 2010), William Fox Elementary (RPS)
The second grade students were learning about economics (History and Social Science SOLs
2.7 – 2.9). My PTA-funded art class expanded the lesson over three extra periods so that
students could learn about architecture and community planning as we designed our own Box
Cities. All architects and architecture students start their large-scale projects by making models
of the buildings they design. Following an introductory discussion of buildings, architectural
elements, and community zoning (industrial, residential, commercial, and recreational), each
student was assigned a specific building to design and encouraged to talk about the goods
and services they provided. These buildings were then created using construction paper and
cereal boxes.
Once the buildings were finished, the students had to work together to decide how to plan
their city, lay out the streets, and integrate parks and waterways. We then laid out our city
and evaluated its strengths and weaknesses. In developing their spatial thinking, observation
and drawing skills, and encouraging collaborative dialogue, they began to see that design is
everywhere, and good design can make a city great.
The Box City Project:
Vygotsky’s Principles in Action
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Actual (prior) knowledge:
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Familiarity with commercial activities and buildings as well as urban and suburban
living
ZPD: Students were:
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What the children already knew (prior knowledge before beginning project): History
and Social Science SOLs 2.7 – 2.9 [basic economics]
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Given an introductory overview of urban zoning and architecture
Assigned a specific building to design and encouraged to talk about the goods and
services they provided
Instructed to design both the interior and exterior of their building and include
pictures of people using the goods and/or services provided within
Encouraged to work cooperatively to lay out their city into particular zones once the
buildings were completed
Asked to think critically about other businesses and buildings that should be added
to provide essential services to the community
Asked to think about where to lay out green spaces and streets within the city
Laying it Out: Critical Student-Led
Decision Making and Dialogue/
Teacher As "Guide on the Side”
Once building were made, students had to
lay out their cities and think about zoning
Above: the students decided to add a
park with a fountain, a farmers market
stand, a train and train tracks leading to
the train station.
Left: Streets have not been laid out yet,
but students decided to incorporate
recreational areas: a pond and two
playgrounds
The Box City Project
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Potential knowledge: What was learned: Through the lessons, students developed:
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Collaborative work and dialogue skills
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Critical thinking skills (summarizing, questioning, clarifying, predicting)
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Better understanding of architecture and design relative in urban planning and
economic activities
Spatial thinking, observation and drawing skills
An appreciation of the importance of good design: design is everywhere, and good
design can make a city (and its economy) great
Sources
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Gunning, Thomas G. (2010). Literacy Instruction for All Students. 7th
ed. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Ivic, Ivan. (2000). Lev S. Vygotsky. UNESCO International Bureau of
Education. Originally published in Prospects: The Quarterly Review
of Comparative Education. Paris, UNESCO: International Bureau of
Education, vol. XXIV, no. 3/4, 1994, p. 471 – 485. Retrieved from
http://www.ibe. unesco.org/ publications/ThinkersPdf/vygotske.pdf.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press.