Developmental - Lecture 6 (Weeks 5/6) - Vygotsky Flashcards
Describe Vygotsky’s notion of Zone of Proximal Development.
(Vygotsky’s theory is a sociocultural one; the child’s culture and social world play a critical part in cognitive growth.
Each culture teaches the child what and how to think in order to best adapt to the demands it sets.
Vygotsky’s Theory is grounded in social constructivism:
Child actively constructs knowledge, but benefits from adult or expert peer assistance. Observations.
He was particularly interested in:
Children’s use of tools and symbolic systems (revealing cultural adaptation).
Children’s participation in social interactions (revealing how the child co-constructs meaning and develops conceptual thought).
Children’s use of language (seen as a driver for cognitive development).
Methodology = primarily qualitative in nature.)
ZPD is the gap between what a child can do unaided and what that child can do with help and instruction from More Knowledgeable Others (MKOs).
- Explain the processes and aims of ‘scaffolding’
Scaffolding: metaphorically defined as appropriate support framework for children’s learning. It exploits their ZPD.
A form of teaching in which MKOs provide contingent / adaptive support, tailored to the child’s current needs.
Aims to transfer responsibility for a task and foster independence.
Aims to accelerate learning and cognitive development .
How it works:
- Child cannot do A alone (but is not too far off).
- Adult instructs or prompts the child to do A.
- Adult gets child to instruct him/herself while doing A.
- Child does A alone (using self-instructions).
The MKO turns the child’s ZPD into actual development, thus accelerating learning.
Language is an important factor in learning and cognitive development.
YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ibEP4xBdJco - What has the child learned after receiving some help?
Feedback
- Categorising: sorting objects by colour and shape.
Precision: using fingers to count more accurately.
Responsibility: feels responsible for counting all remaining objects.
Independence: applies his newly learned technique.
- Describe the role of external and internal use of language on children’s cognitive development
Language plays a vital role in cognitive development, transforming a child’s thinking.
Language does not just perform an external function of communication between people.
Language also performs an internal regulatory function of monitoring and directing thought within a person.
Verbal self-regulation develops in 3 stages:
Parents instruct their children
Children instruct themselves overtly using private speech
Children instruct themselves covertly using inner speech
(Wertsch, 1980)
Children often talk to themselves as they play.
Common when child is trying to solve problems or achieve important goals.
Piaget called this ‘egocentric speech’ – said it was pre-social, has no function, and eventually dies out.
Vygotsky called it ‘private speech’ – According to Vygotsky, these self-directed monologues have a crucial function: they help children to categorise and memorise knowledge; to plan, regulate and direct their behaviour.
Private speech is a transitional state between overt and covert (inner) speech or verbal thinking.
As children get older and find tasks easier, their private speech is internalised and silent now called inner speech.
Private speech can re-emerge from its underground state.
Berk (1992) showed that children produce more private speech when doing a difficult task than an easy one.
Children who use private speech during challenging tasks show better performance than those not using it.
- Compare/contrast Piaget and Vygotsky’s approaches to studying child development.
Vygotsky Strengths:
Research supports Vygotsky’s view that language plays a key role in children’s intellectual development.
Berk et al (1993): the sooner children develop inner speech the more intellectually advanced they become.
There is considerable support for Vygotsky’s view that children develop more quickly with expert help and guidance.
Social constructivism has been successfully applied in educational and clinical / health care settings.
Vygotsky Weaknesses:
Vygotsky’s theory assumes MKOs will always enhance a child’s cognitive development.
Vygotsky’s theory is silent on biological maturation, stages and developmental factors other than language.
Vygotsky’s theory is vague in places (e.g. continuous and discontinuous cognitive development not as neatly defined as in Piaget’s account).
LOOK AT PIAGET S+W’S ON PREVIOUS DECK
Vygotsky - Cognitive development is driven by social interaction and experience within a culture VS Piaget - Cognitive development is driven by the child’s inbuilt tendency to adapt to new experiences
Vygotsky - Child learns through instruction and guidance VS Piaget - Child learns through active self-discovery
Vygotsky - Knowledge is acquired through the internalisation of the adult’s understanding VS Piaget - Knowledge is acquired through direct experience
Vygotksy - Cognitive development can be accelerated VS Piaget - Child will only learn when ready
Vygotsky - The ability to use language is the key to cognitive development. Outward monologues direct thinking and later become internalised as thought
VS Piaget - Language develops as a result of cognitive development. Outward monologues are meaningless and egocentric speech is incidental to thought
Vygotsky and Education
Vygotsky-inspired classrooms promote assisted discovery: not too easy/not too difficult.
Social context is key: Teacher as guide, Peer-collaboration, Peer-assisted learning.
High levels of scaffolding very effective when independent work demands are high (van de Pol et al. 2015).
COMPARE THIS TO PIAGET’S VIEW OF EDUCATION ON PREVIOUS DECK OF CARDS
