Vygotsky's theory Flashcards
What did Vygotsky see the child as?
An apprentice
What did Vygotsky emphasise?
More than Piaget the role of the other, more knowledgeable people in children’s development
→ More knowledgeable other
What did Vygotsky state about children acquiring concepts?
That although children can acquire some concepts through their own unaided play, they acquire the mechanisms of thinking and learning as a result of the social interactions between themselves and the adults around them
What 2 major influences on children’s development of understanding did Vygotsky focus on in his interactionist theory?
- Social interaction
- Culture
What are the 3 cultural tools are children said to inherit?
Technological - how to… (clocks, bicycles)
Psychological - understanding (concepts, language, theories)
Values (efficiency, power)
What did Vygotsky state the most essential tool is?
Language
What did Vygotsky state about language?
He stated that it enables the shift from basic mental functions to higher mental functions; external monologue → inner speech → internalised thought
What did Vygotsky propose regarding speech?
Different functions for speech at different ages of development
What were the 3 stages of speech development that Vygotsky proposed?
Pre-intellectual or social speech (0-3 years old)
Egocentric speech (3-7 years old)
Inner speech (7 years old)
What is the zone of proximal development?
The gap between current ability and potential ability represents the ZPD
What allows a child to cross the zone of proximal development?
Vygotsky stated that interaction with more knowledgeable others allows the child to develop more advanced understanding and more advanced reasoning abilities
What is scaffolding used for?
Scaffolding is a tactic for helping the child in his or her zone of proximal development to complete a task or achieve a goal that they would not be able to complete without assistance
How does scaffolding work?
A more knowledgeable other provides support so that the child can focus on the elements of the task that are within their range of competence, they provide hints and prompts at different levels.
In scaffolding, the adult does not simplify the task, but the role of the learner is simplified through breaking up the task, concept or skill into distinct units or parts.
What is an important aspect of scaffolding?
That there is a gradual withdrawal of support as the child’s knowledge and confidence increase
What are the 7 things used in scaffolding?
- Demonstrations
- Prompts
- Hints
- Peer tutoring
- Collaborative learning
- Using example of good work
- Direct instruction
What were the certain processes that Wood et al stated aid effective scaffolding?
- Gaining and maintaining the learner’s interest in the task
- Making the task simple
- Emphasising certain aspects that will help with the solution
- Control the child’s level of frustration
- Demonstrate the task
