Transcript LEV VYGOTSKY - Leonel Madrid

LEV VYGOTSKY
Lev Vygotsky‘s Biography
Lev Vygotsky was born on November 5,1896 in
Western Russia and died in 1934. His father , Semi
L`vovich, founded the "Society of Education in
Gomel", and held a wide range of active interests
including foreign language ,history, literature,
theater, and art. His mother was educated as a
teacher . Both parents were fluent in several foreign
languages.
Vigotsky was first educated as lawyer at the
Moscow University . After graduation he started
teaching science at various institutions. Also he
studied a range of topics while attending
university which were sociology, linguistics,
philosophy. However , his formal work in
psychology did not begin until 1924 when he
attended the Institute of Psychology in Moscow
and began collaborating with Alexei Leontiev,
Alexander Luria, and others.
Contributions to Psychology
Lev Vygotsky is considered a seminal thinker
in psychology, and much of his work is still
being discovered and explored today. Part of
this was because his work was often
criticized by the Communist Party in Russia,
and so his writings were largely inaccessible
to the Western world. His premature death at
age 38 also contributed to his obscurity.
Sociocultural theory
Lev Vygostsky also suggested that human
development results from a dynamic
interaction between individuals and society.
Through this interaction, children learn
gradually and continuously from parent and
teachers. This learning, however, can vary
from one culture to the next. It is important to
note that Vygotsky's theory emphasizes the
dynamic nature of this interaction.
Application of the Vygotsky’s
Social Development Theory
Some schools have traditionally held a
instructionist model in which a teacher
transmits information to students. In contrast,
Vygotsky’s theory promotes learning contexts
in which students play an active role in
learning.
Elements of Socio-cultural
Theory
Children, especially
toddlers and
preschoolers , often speak aloud to them
selves as they are trying to understand
something. This self-talk helps them to
work things out in their own minds .
The More Knowledgeable Other
(MKO)
Is somewhat self-explanatory; it refers to anyone
who has better understanding or a higher ability
level than the learner , with respect to a particular
task , process, or concept. The MKO is normally
thought of as being a teacher, trainer , or older
adult, but the MKO could also peers, a younger
person , or even computers.
Zone of Proximal
Development
According to Vygotsky, the zone of proximal
development is "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."
1. Scaffolding : requires that an instructor shows
by examples how to solve a problem , while
controlling the learning environment so that
students can take things step by step expanding
their base of knowledge without excessive
frustration.
Lev Vygotsky establishes that there are
two types of mental functions : the lower
and the upper.
Lower mental functions: are those with which
we are born, are the natural functions and are
genetically determined. Behavior derived from
lower mental functions is limited; It is
conditioned by what we can do. These
functions we limited our behavior to a reaction
or response to the environment.
The higher mental functions: are acquired and
developed through social interaction. Given that the
individual is in a specific society with a culture
specific. The higher mental functions are
determined by the way of being of that society: the
higher mental functions are culturally mediated. For
Lev Vygotsky, greater social interaction, more
knowledge, more possibilities for action, more
robust mental functions.
Lev Vygotsky believes that human development is a process
of cultural development, being the activity of the man
engine in the process of human development. The concept
of activity in this way acquires an especially important role
in his theory. For him, the process of formation of the higher
psychological functions will be through practical and
instrumental, but not individual activity, but in the interaction
or social cooperation.
 Now we know more about Vygotsky’s life and
theories.
 We learn that the language is also crucial and
interrelated with the action, providing an additional
tool used both to reflect on and direct behavior.
 We can say that all these investigations are of
utmost importance for education since these works
provide tools for the development of the individual
learning and can be used by an educator or the
apprentice as the same may apply the best
methodology of study according to your needs.
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