Essay - Vygotsky Flashcards
Vygotsky’s full name
Lev Semanovich Vygotsky
Background of Vygotsky
Died in 1934. Worked banned from 1936-1956. Died age 38. Russian. Communist regime.
What was vygotskys main focus
Interested in how learning develops through interaction and dialogue between more knowledgeable others and peers
Three key concepts of Vygotsky’s theories
- Language as a mental tool
- Role of private speech
- Zone of proximal development
What is Vygotskys Theory called
Theory of Sociocultural Development
What were the two main mediums that Vygotsky thought children learnt through
- Social interaction
2. Cultural tools
What are the two types of communication according to Vygotsky
Interpsychological - between us and another person
Intrapsychological - within ourselves
What is coconstruction
Learning between individuals
Explain how a child first develops
Child is born with inherited capacity for specific patterns of action. From birth they acquire a sequence of skills with language being the most important. This is achieved through social interaction.
How are infants influenced?
Through interaction with their parents and caregivers. This means they are influenced also by their parents cultural, social and historical background. Develops not just as an individual but as a member of a society and culture.
What is the primary role of adults
To socialise the child
How did Vygotsky describe human mental abilities
Lower mental functions - inherited, involuntary eg vision, hearing, taste that are controlled by external objects and events
Higher mental functions - those developed through social interaction including logical and abstract thinking and language that operates internally (in the head)
What is the development process primarily concerned with
Infant gaining control of lower mental functions through interactions and begin to acquire higher level mental functions
Example of early emergence of communicative behaviour
Peek-a-boo. - moves from passive to active participant
Internalisation
The transformation of external processes into internal processes that guide action and thought. Developed out of social interaction, not just by the individual