Vygotsky

Question 1

Key concepts

Answer 1

Social constructivism
Culturally specific tools
Language and thought
Zone of proximal development

Question 2

Social constructivism 1

Answer 2

Social interaction and culture have a huge impact on cognitive development

Cognitive processes (language, thought, reasoning) develop through social interaction

Learning is mediated by social interaction with ‘more knowledgeable others

Question 3

Social constructivism

Answer 3

Knowledge is constructed through social interaction

Learning and development are inseparable from social and cultural activities

Vygotsky focused on the tasks that children can do with the help of more knowledgeable others, rather that what children can achieve on their own

Question 4

Culturally-specific tools

Answer 4

Physical and cognitive tools passed on through social interaction with more knowledgeable others

Question 5

Physical tools

Answer 5

Culturally specific tool

E.g. Hammer - form and function developed through adaptation - meaning and function are culturally transmitted

Question 6

Cognitive tools

Answer 6

Culturally specific tool

Tools to help people with cognitive processes - maps - clocks - language

Culturally transmitted

Question 7

Evidence for the influence of culture on development

Answer 7

There is evidence that children from different cultures develop cognitive processes at different ages.

Mexican children who’s families make pottery passed conservation tasks earlier that European children (Price-William, Gordon and Ramirez, 1969)

The Mexican children studied could make more accurate judgements about quantities of clay and water.

Question 8

Language

Answer 8

Cultural tool enabling knowledge to be shared amongst members of society

Also the most important cognitive tool - humans think in language

Question 9

Language and thought

Answer 9

Language crucial to the development of thought

Language and thought start off being independent - thought is non-verbal, language is used soley for communication

Private speech starts around the age of 3

Question 10

Private speech / inner speech

Answer 10

According to Vygotsky, private speech plays an important role in cognitive development

• Thought and language converge
• Helps with problem solving and planning (e.g. counting on fingers)
• Helps children to learn to guide their own behaviours through difficult tasks (e.g. working through a jigsaw puzzle)

Private speech develops into inner speech at around the age of 6 / 7

Question 11

Actual versus potential development

Answer 11

Children can perform more difficult tasks with the help of a more knowledgeable other - adult or child

Vygotsky distinguished between the

• Actual developmental level - the upper limit of what a child can do without help
• Level of potential development

Challenging tasks can help cognitive development

Question 12

Zone of proximal development

Answer 12

The distance between what a child can achieve without help, and what they can potentially achieve with help.

Intramental ability and intermental ability.

Question 13

Intramental ability

Answer 13

What a child can accomplish without help

Question 14

Intermental ability

Answer 14

What a child can accomplish with the help of others

Question 15

Scaffolding

Answer 15

Development of Vygotsky’s ZPD - (Wood, Bruner & Ross, 1976)

• context provided by more knowledgeable others such as adults to help children develop their cognitive skills

Gradual withdrawal of support as child’s knowledge and confidence grow

Question 16

Examples of scaffolding

Answer 16

Demonstrate the task

Divide the task into more manageable chunks

Provide guidelines

Ask questions that gets the child to think about how to complete the task

Focus the child’s attention on the most relevant aspects of the task

Give regular feedback

Question 17

Scaffolding in language learning

Answer 17

Caregivers will automatically scaffold without consciously be aware of it

Caregivers are finely tuned to their children’s cognitive development

Question 18

Evidence for scaffolding in language learning

Answer 18

Gogate, Bahrick & Watson, 2000

Mother taught 2 novel nouns and 2 novel verbs (shaking and leaping) to children from 3 different age ranges and were give puppets to use as aids.

The research showed that the level of temporal synchrony between the word and puppet decreased with the subjects with older children.

Question 19

Vygotsky’s influence today

Answer 19

Developing peer to peer dialogue in the classroom - exploratory talk

Dynamic assessment of language skills

Reading recovery

Question 20

Exploratory talk

Answer 20

Using language to think collectively

Children encouraged to engage critically but constructively with each other’s ideas

Supports intramental cognitive abilities

Question 21

Evidence for exploratory talk

Answer 21

Rojas-Drummond,& Mercer, 2003

Group A given ‘talk lessons’ designed to encourage critical and creative thinking in peer to peer dialogue

Group B with no such programme

After lessons group A tested higher on Raven’s Progressive Matrices

Intermental activities supported intramental cognitive abilities

Question 22

Raven’s Progressive Matrices

Answer 22

Non-verbal reasoning test

Question 23

Similarities between Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theorys

Answer 23

Learning is a constructive process

Notion of readiness

Question 24

Similarities between Piaget and Vygotsky - constructivism

Answer 24

Both agreed learning is a constructivist process

Piaget - individual constructivism

Vygotsky - social constructivism

Question 25

Individual constructivism

Answer 25

Children construct knowledge on their own through self-discovery

Thought is organised in schemas

Child as scientist

Question 26

Social constructivism

Answer 26

Children construct knowledge with adults and peers

They internalise meanings and cognitive tools that started out on a social plane

Child as apprentice

Question 27

Similarities between Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories - readiness

Answer 27

Both agreed that:

• at any given time children are cognitively ready for some experiences but not others
• brain maturation limits readiness

Piaget - readiness is determined by the child’s current state of cognitive development

Vygotsky - readiness is determined by the child’s ZPD

Question 28

Differences between Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories

Answer 28

Nature of change

Relationship between language and thought

Question 29

Difference between P and V - nature of change

Answer 29

Piaget - qualitative change

• stages represent qualitative shifts

Vygotsky - mainly quantitative change

• Not specific about qualitative changes, although he did think they occurred
• Focused mainly on gradual improvements in skill

Question 30

Difference between P and V - language and thought - Piaget

Answer 30

Cognitive development is largely independent of language

• Thought comes to a child before language - language is used to express concepts that the child already has
• The main function of language is for social communication

Question 31

Difference between P and V - language and thought - Vygotsky

Answer 31

Language is critical for cognitive development

• Thought processes are internalised versions of social interactions that are largely verbal in nature
• Private speech and inner speech are key for problem solving and self regulation
• Conversations with others teach children how to interpret the world in culturally-specific ways