cognition and development - vygotsky's theory Flashcards
what are 5 aspects of scaffolding ?
recruitment reduction of degrees of freedom direction maintenance marking critical features demonstration
what did vygotsky see cognitive development as
social process of learning from more experienced others – ‘experts’.
explain the social and individual level
every function in the child’s cognitive development appears twice.
Knowledge is first intermental, between the more and less expert individual – this is the social level
Knowledge within the mind of the less expert individual – this is the individual level.
explain role of others in vygotsky’s theory
A child learns through problem-solving experiences shared within someone else, with greater knowledge (expert)
explain the role of language in vygotskys theory
Vygotsky believed that culture is transmitted by experts using semiotics – the signs and symbols developed within a particular culture.
language and maths are the means by which culture is transmitted from expert to child
why are there Cultural Differences in Cognitive Abilities
- the reasoning abilities of child will be the same as the experts abilities
Because child has learnt from expert
may be cultural difference in
cognitive development,-
children will pick up the abilities important in only their environment
explain the zone of proximal development
zone of proximal development (ZPD) is the region where cognitive development takes place.
how did vygotskys come up with ZPD
learning or cognitive development does not take place in the area of current development.
also does not take place too far ahead of what the child can do (out of reach area)
-> learning can only take place in the ZPD
explain scaffolding ?
describe the process of assisting a learner through the ZPD
The expert creates a ‘scaffold’ i.e., a temporary support, which is gradually withdrawn when the child is more able to work independently.
