Essay on The Use of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory in Education

Developing language becomes the avenue from which children cultivate their social-emotional cognition which allows them to have an understanding of their social world and accumulate their culture (Shulman & Singleton, 2010). Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two well-known cognitive psychologist who each had theories regarding language development and cognition. Both Piaget and Vygotsky had similarities in their theories as well as differences between them. While they were both conveyed great contributions into the development of current psychology, Vygotsky’s ideas are notably the theory of choice in development.

Although Lev Vygotsky’s main field of work was developmental psychology, he also had come up with a theory for higher cognitive functions in children (Lev Vygotsky. (2013). Encyclopedia of World). It was in this development that Vygotsky began to see the arrival of reasoning in a social environment through practical activity. In the beginning stages of his career, Vygotsky stood firm in his belief that the development of reasoning was brought about by the use of signs and symbols, and was contingent on cultural practices in addition to universal cognitive processes. Lev Vygotsky also conceived the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, this happens when the student is able to complete tasks without any assistance. This fills the void for what learners can accomplish on their own and what they need support with (Blake&Pope,2008, p60).

Vygotsky was a man well ahead of his time in the understanding of how children learn. He seemed to really have an interest in the overall development of children. As we know, “Vygotsky centered his idea of how children learn based on social interaction, which was labeled culture.” (Lefrancois, 2012) It seems that he might have gotten this understanding from his growing up as a Jewish boy, and then latter going to school in a Russian collage. During these times of turmoil, he could see a great deal of how culture play a real role in how people learned. It seems that Vygotsky’s life, and his education lead him to his understanding about how important children’s learning is, especially starting at an early age. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development

A basic concept of Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory is its claim that the human mind is the go-between and plays a significant role for what he calls tools‟ in humans‟ understanding of the world and themselves (Cole.1978). Vygotsky defends the theory that people do not act directly on the physical world without the intermediary of tools. Vygotsky describes cognitive development first occurs in a social context amongst people as "inter" and within the individual, as "intra." Thus meaning, according to Vygotsky as, "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (inter-psychological) and then inside the child (intra- psychological) (Cole.1978).”

Justification of this critique was also provided by Vygotsky theory of development .Vygotsky (1929) believes that adults and child’s peers are involved in shaping cognitive development of the

Under normal circumstances, a child will physically develop without outside assistance. While there can be variations by way of culture, class, and ability, it is difficult to contest that human nature is the driving force behind the bodily changes that take place from birth until adulthood. In contrast, when it comes to determining the ways in which a child thinks and learns, there are numerous theories on what primarily influences cognitive growth and development. One theorist that offered an innovative look into this latter process was Russian born psychologist, Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky theorized that children learn by doing, and their process of development is primarily influenced by the people and the systems that comprise their environment. What made him stand out from other theorists of the time is that instead of centering his ideas in behavior, Vygotsky instead focused on the learning process and the potential for a child to learn. He showed the value pairing learning with a practical application, and that in doing so, it could make for more effective learning on the part of the child. The result of such a theory was that provided families and educators an insight on how they might be able to influence the development experience for a child.

Throughout past years, numerous theorists that have developed and come up with ideas about how language and literacy and our cognitive development are largely influenced by our social and cultural interactions. Lee Vygotsky, a Russian theorist in the late 1900’s, had a major influence on the socio cultural theory and proposed ideas about language and cognitive development. His theory suggests that cognitive development or the higher mental function develops in stages. He soon identified that there were three stages which consisted of ‘clustering things into unorganised heaps’, ‘putting things into complexes based on concrete factual bonds’ and finally ‘thinking in concepts’ (Vygotsky 1978). Vygotsky stated that learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organised, specifically

A person has been learning new information or skill from other people since the time they were born. Infants learn how to walk and communicate by observing and watching their parents, older brothers, or sisters. Teachers are the next people who teach the higher set of skills a person needs to continue learning information. They teach people how to read, write, and new information to better understand around them. Lev Vygotsky believed that parents, peers, and culture were important components in a person’s development of higher order functions. He developed the theory of sociocultural learning which is a process of learning through social activities, groups, and organizations. Observing and learning from other people is one of the ways that people develop new skills and obtain new knowledge.

Lev Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist, born November 17, 1896, who had a wide range of interests that included the cognitive and language development of children. Vygotsky’s theories are somewhat incomplete due to his death at the young age of 38 from tuberculosis. Vygotsky faced many struggles in life that he was able to overcome, such as being a young Jewish boy who grew up in a time where the Russian District limited the number of Jews who were allowed to be educated at a University level. (Tools of the Mind pg. 5) Fortunately he was one of the few who was awarded this education opportunity and prevailed as an exceptional student. As stated in the Tools of the Mind, “Vygotsky taught literature in a secondary school and then went on

The socio-cultural cognitive theory of Lev Vygotsky emphasizes children’s cognitive development cannot be understood apart from cultural settings, and social interactions and activities shape their ways to construct knowledge (Jahoda, Dagnan, Stenfert Kroese, Pert, & Trower, 2009; Santrock, Mackenzie-Rivers, & Pangman, 2017; Woolfolk, Winne, & Perry, 2016). The notion of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a well-known concept of his theoretical framework (Santrock, Mackenzie-Rivers, & Pangman, 2017; Woolfolk, Winne, & Perry, 2016; Ylvisaker & Feeney, 2009). In the follow paragraphs, I will brief explain this concept, clarify how it closely relates to individual daily life, and discuss the limit of this notion with reflect on my personal experience.

Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (1896–1934) was a Russian developmental psychologist credited with the conception of the sociocultural theory. Born in 1986 in the Soviet Union (what is now present day Belarus), Vygotsky moved to Moscow in 1924 and joined the Institute of Technology (Jones 2016). It was there, during his brief 10-year career (shorted by his premature death to tuberculosis in 1934) that “Vygotsky wrote on the cognitive difficulties of disabled children, developed a single-subject research method, analyzed thinking and speech, and developed his theory of cognitive development, which he designated as cultural-historical” (Salkind 1010), commonly referred to as Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. For the majority of the 20th century, Vygotsky’s work was banned and it was not until the break up the Soviet Union that his work became widely available in his home country. “His writings are only just now becoming widely disseminated in the United States due to the growing availability of good English translations… Thus, Vygotsky, long hidden from his fellow developmentalists, only emerged onto the scene long after his death” (Feldman 230). However, despite its brief time in the psychological and educational arenas, “Vygotsky’s view--that the specific nature of cognitive development can be understood only by taking into account cultural and social context--has become increasingly influential in the last decade” (Feldman 230).

Vygotsky’s work to this day is hugely influential in modern day education. The processes of these developmental

The theories of Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget have been important in the field of education and psychology. They explain and help teachers and psychologists to understand how is the cognitive development of children at early age. First came the theory of Vygotsky which tell us the interaction with people at early age is important for development of cognition. Later came the theory of Piaget which tells the four stages of cognitive development. Whereas theories of Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget are different, theory of Lev Vygotsky is a person need to have social interaction for a good cognitive development, while as theory of Jean Piaget is cognitive development come through different stages. They also similar as they both agree that cognitive development decreases with age and children organize the new information with information they already have.

“Leo Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, introduced the Sociocultural Learning Theory. His quote that “through others we become ourselves” could be the quintessence of the Sociocultural Learning Theory, which supports that learning is a social process”.

Lev Vygotsky’s Cultural-Historical Theory is the idea that a child’s social environment was a major contributor to how each child developed. In my own experiences in the classroom I see how each child is an individual and how their development is a product of their environment. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the concept that having assistance and guidance from others, children can learn tasks that is too difficult for them to do on their own. Scaffolding is an important part of ZPD; it is the support and guidance while learning a new task.