Learning Flashcards
describe the social context for Vygotsky’s research
USSR had absorbed people from many different places. needed a way to educate them. focused on people in context to understand them
what were the 3 main areas of Vygotsky’s research
culture: person in context. ZPD. language.
what did Vygotsky want? (quote)
a ‘total restructuring of psychological research and theory’
what is culture?
a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours, and artefacts, conscious and unconscious, transmitted across generations through learning
describe the “cultural influence” view
derived from traditional psychology. individuals are till the primary unit of analysis. the influence of culture on individuals become a focus of research
describe the sociocultural theory
development is product of social and cultural experiences. emphasises importance of cultural variation in development. social constructionist approach
describe the social constructionist approach
children actively construct their knowledge and understanding. ways of thinking develop mostly through social interaction. connive development depends on tools provided by society. minds shaped by cultural context
what is the ZPD?
distance between child’s actual developmental level (independent problem solving) and the potential development (problem solving with adult or peer help)
within the ZPD theory, what is there a distinction between?
level of independent performance and level of assisted performance
what is level 1 of scaffolding?
general. eg. can you make another?
what is level 2 of scaffolding?
specific verbal instruction. eg. can you find a large one?
what is level 3 of scaffolding?
mother indicates material. eg. you need that one
what is level 4 of scaffolding?
mother provides material and indicates for assembly
what is level 5 of scaffolding?
mother demonstrates
how did Vygotsky say children’s speech develops?
socialised -> egocentric -> inner
what did Vygotsky say the primary function of language was?
communication
what did Vygotsky say increases egocentric speech?
frustrations and difficulties
what did Vygotsky say was the function of egocentric speech?
guides children in understanding situations, finding solutions, or planning
what were Vygotsky’s conclusion about egocentric speech?
child does not believe that others can understand. represents transition from speech for others to speech for oneself. independent from social speech, but is not yet felt as inner speech
what does private speech increase with and according to who?
task difficulty. Duncan and Pratt (1997).
how did Piaget say children’s speech develops?
autistic (no speech) -> syncretistic (egocentric speech) -> intellectual (social speech)
describe speech during the preoperational stage
thoughts and communications are egocentric. according to Piaget, the preoperational child assumes that other people see, hear and feel the same way they do
describe language development in the preoperational stage
intelligence is demonstrated through symbols. language use matures. memory and imagination are developed. thinking is non-logical and nonreversible.
according to Piaget, egocentric thought has…
no function; does not provide communication; epiphenomenon of activity
according to Piaget, socialised thought…
exchange with others. adult thinks socially, even when he is alone
how did Piaget define mental maturity?
ratio of socialised to egocentric speech
when did Piaget say egocentric speech comes and goes?
before socialised speech and dies out as it serves no useful purpose
when did Piaget say children don’t speak until?
until they have non-autistic thought
what work did Barbara Rogoff do?
fieldwork studies of childrearing among Guatamalan Mayans. participation in alternative child-centred school in Utah. studies of girl-scout cookie selling.
what does it mean for learning to be ‘situated’
learning occurs as a function of the activity, context and culture in which it occurs
what is a ‘community of practice’?
something which learners become involved in, which embodies certain beliefs and behaviours to be acquired
what does the sociocultural view define development as?
transformation of patterns of participation in joint activities. involves appropriation of tools and practices of the community
when did Piaget say development ends?
when you have gone through all the stages. it is unidirectional
when did Rogodd say development ends?
there is no universal endpoint. it is multidirectional. proceeds differently in different cultures
constructivism accepts that…
children start with a naïve theory of physics. synthetic models created as they assimilate info into theory. new knowledge integrated with existing knowledge. existing knowledge challenged by new ideas. existing ideas strongly held
why stay children’s understanding of the earth?
world seems flat and stationary. actually spherical and spinning. aren’t told its flat. so if they say is it that must be influenced by observations
what are some different ways that children imagine the earth to be?
sphere, flattened sphere, hollow sphere, dual earth, disc earth, rectangular earth, mixed (Vosniadou & Colleagues, 2004)
describe the mental model account (Vosniadou & Brewer, 1992)
children construct naïve, coherent ‘mental models’ based on intuitions and observations which are gradually displaced by scientific information
describe mental models and adult’s beliefs
mental models are methodological artefacts. the questions and insurrections confuse children. even some adults find them challenging.
criticisms of the social view of development on the whole
a more developmental account of both contexts and children is needed. more description of contexts of children of various ages and developmental levels. cognitive level permits or contains processes in the zone
