VYGOTSKY’S THEORY

Submitted by: Lacbayan, Angelica V.

What was Vygotsky's Theory?

Lev Vygotsky's theory highlights the role of culture in a
child's development of cognitive abilities such as reasoning
and communication. According to Vygotsky's theory, in a society adults
foster cognitive development in children by engaging them
in meaningful and challenging activities.
Vygotsky was a key figure in Soviet Psychology who studied children
and developed his own theories about how learning occurs. He believed
that learning happens in three different stages: cognitive, motoric, and
sociocultural. Cognitive learning involves thinking about concepts and
ideas; motoric learning involves doing things; and sociocultural learning
involves interacting with others.
Vygotsky's theory suggests that each stage builds upon the previous
ones, and he believed that adults learn from observing children. He also
believed that children learn through play, and that play is a form of
sociocultural learning. His work has become an integral part of
contemporary psychology.
To illustrate his point, Vygotsky gave the example of a boy playing
with blocks. When the boy plays with the blocks, he learns how to
manipulate objects, and then later uses those skills to build structures.
As he continues to play, he begins to understand the concept of gravity
and eventually develops the ability to read books.

The history behind Vygotsky's Theory

Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (1896-1934) argued that culture has a
significant impact on the mental abilities of a child. Eminent
psychologists, Gesell and Piaget thought that cognitive development
and psychological functions originate from a child directly.
Although Lev Vygotsky acknowledged the active role of intrinsic
development, he believed that concepts, writings, and oral
language arising from a cultural development elicit the topmost level
of mental abilities and psychological functions. He proposed that a
child's social interactions with more learned peers and adults may
support a child’s potential development in mental functions. He
believed that in absence of interpersonal instruction, a child’s
psychological functions may not show much progress as their mental
processes would be based solely on their discoveries.
Vygotsky fundamentally used his ideas to explain how children develop.
His theories were based on observations of children in Russia during the
1920s and 1930s. However, they still hold true today. Children begin life
as blank slates, and they learn through observation and imitation. Later,
they begin to create their own thoughts and opinions, and they continue
to grow socially until adulthood. According to his theory, the child learns
by observing and imitating adults. When a child sees someone else
doing something, he or she tries to imitate the behaviour. As the child
continues to observe and imitate, he or she begins to understand the
concept behind the behaviour.
This process of imitation and observation is called internalization.
Internalization allows us to transfer knowledge from one person to
another. For example, if you teach someone how to play tennis, you can
expect him or her to eventually become a tennis player. Vygotsky also
believed that the way in which we communicate with others influences
the way in which we learn. According to him, we learn by talking to
others and listening to what they say. We then try to apply what we
learned to similar situations in the future.
In addition to studying children, Vygotsky also spent much of his career
working with teachers. His goal was to develop ways in which teachers
could enhance students' abilities to learn. One of his ideas was
that teaching methods must be adapted to fit the individual student. His
theories have influenced educational practices worldwide. However, his
ideas have also been criticized. Some argue that Vygotsky's emphasis
on interaction between teacher and learner is too simplistic. Others
believe that his focus on external factors rather than internal ones is
misguided.
Regardless of whether you agree with his theories, Vygotsky's influence
cannot be denied. His ideas continue to shape education today.

What is Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal

Development?
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the most famous mental
development concept proposed by L.S. Vygotsky. According to this
theory, ZPD indicates the wide variety of cognitive processes a child
demonstrates under the supervision of an expert but is unable
to perform on his own.
What are the stages of ZPD?
A learner may fall into one of the three distinct categories of mental
functions, based on their skill set. For successful psychological functions
and learning, the expert must know the specific state of a learner's
mental functions.
Tasks a learner cannot perform in presence of assistance
Outside of a learner's ZPD, are the tasks that the learner's current ability
does not allow him to complete, even in presence of an expert's help.
According to L. S. Vygotsky theory of development here, the expert may
decrease the level of difficulty and look for more appropriate tasks
according to the mental development and skill level of the learner.

1. Tasks a learner may perform in presence of Assistance

A learner is nearly mastering a skill set needed to complete a task,
nevertheless, still needs the supervision of an expert. L. S. Vygotsky
believes that here, an expert may apply different techniques to enable
the learner better understand the skills and concepts needed to perform
a task without assistance.

1. Tasks a Learner may perform in absence of Assistance

A learner has mastered the skill set needed to complete a
task independently. The assistance of an expert is not needed.
According to L. S. Vygotsky after reaching this stage, an expert may
increase the individual level of task difficulty to find a child's next ZPD.
What is scaffolding?
According to L.S. Vygotsky theory of development, when a learner is in
their ZPD, an expert will provide appropriate assistance to the learner to
help him accomplish a new skill or task. According to scaffolding theory,
resources, tools, instructions, and activities, that are used to support the
learning process are referred to as scaffolding.
Scaffolding refers to the structure provided by other learners while
learning a skill. When someone learns a new skill, they usually follow a
series of steps to master it. These steps are called "scaffolds," and they
provide a foundation upon which the learner builds his or her skills.
When teaching students, teachers typically create scaffolds to guide
them through each lesson. Scaffolds help students understand concepts
and remember details, and they also allow teachers to focus on specific
areas of instruction rather than having to cover every single topic.
Following are the examples of scaffolding that instructors may use:

1. Asking a learner about any other ways to solve a problem, asking

him what must be done next, and asking about his psychological
processes!
2. Modelling how to complete a similar task or completing a similar
problem;
3. Arranging learners in groups to discuss a new topic before
engaging in it;
4. Using visual resources to allow students to conceptualize a task
before engaging in it;
5. Asking learners to use past learning for a better understanding of
more complex subject areas;
6. According to psychological development theories,
using metacognitive web tools such as self-correcting and self-
assessment of material to help learners understand concepts;
Ultimately, the learner can complete the entire task after the removal of
the scaffolding.
Although, scaffolding is most frequently linked with the L. S.
Vygotsky ZPD, it was not a concept initially proposed by the
soviet psychologist. This term was introduced by other researchers in
human development and mental functions who were in Vygotsky circle.
They expanded on L.S. Vygotsky original theories of human
development.

What are the Potential Challenges of using

Scaffolding in the Classroom?
Scaffolding theory can be significantly useful to teach students a new
skill or a mental development concept. However, if the teacher is
unaware of the unique ZPD of each student, application of scaffolding
theory may not be very effective.
While scaffolding is helpful for both teachers and learners, it can be
difficult to implement effectively. Teachers who try to force students
to memorize facts and procedures risk creating rote learners who
lack creativity and critical thinking. At the same time, teachers who don't
scaffold enough risk failing to teach students anything at all.
To avoid falling into either trap, teachers must strike a balance between
giving students plenty of scaffolding and allowing them to develop
creative solutions to problems. Fortunately, there are several ways to
achieve this balance. For instance, teachers can give students practice
exercises that require them to solve problems creatively. They can also
ask questions that require students to explain their reasoning. Finally,
they can model effective problem-solving techniques and then give
students opportunities to apply them themselves.
In addition to helping teachers build stronger relationships with their
students, scaffolding helps learners become independent thinkers.
Because scaffolding provides a framework for learning, students can
explore topics on their own terms. This allows them to gain confidence in
their abilities and encourages them to seek out additional resources if
necessary.
The following outlines some of the difficulties teachers may face while
using scaffolding in the classroom.

 It takes more time or/and resources to understand the cognitive

skills level and attainment level of each student;
 It can be challenging to understand each student's ever-changing
ability level and mental development in a class of too many
students;
 According to social development theory, some teachers may find it
difficult to understand the fundamental role of mental
concepts such as scaffolding technique in child development;
 According to psychological development theories, it can be a
difficult task to uphold enough cognitive flexibility to perform
scaffolding technique;
 According to theories of developmental psychology, teachers have
to be extremely organized to implement scaffolding technique into
their teaching.

What is Private Speech?

According to psychology of emotions and social speech, people talk to
themselves internally. In most cases, they talk to themselves when they
are struggling with something wrong or when they feel emotional or
trying to recall something. The same goes for the process of
development in children. This was interpreted by Piaget as Egocentric
Speech.
Egocentric Speech occurs due to a child's inability to perceive things
from another's viewpoint. But, the developmental psychology expert
Vygotsky believed that in egocentric speech, children talk to themselves
to clarify thoughts or to show problem-solving skills. According to Social
Development Theory when children are learning to use words while they
are thinking, they tend to do so in a loud voice before finally engaging in
inner speech or Private Speech while their lips are closed.
Thinking with a loud voice finally becomes thought alongside internal
speech, and people start to talk to themselves only while trying
to remember something or learn something. Vygotsky believes that the
inner speech of people is opposite to external speech. Internal speech is
not as detailed as the external speech that one uses
to communicate with others.