Lev Vygotsky was a fascinating individual. Trained in the
arts, he was ordered by the communists to develop a theory
of education that paralleled Marxist theory of government.
His research into learning led him to develop his Theory
of Cognitive Socialization. Vygotsky believed that learning
was dependent on sharing through language and continual cooperation
among learners. Each would help the other and by pulling together
all would be able to achieve the maximum. Vygotsky believed
that you learned in a zone of proximal development.
You entered the learning zone at the level of your tested
performance. Teacher judgment helped to set the expectation
for how far you would go. Mentors (teachers or peers)
would scaffold you from entry to exit level, all
the while providing safety nets to insure mastery at each
level before you progressed on. Along the way the mentors
imparted the values and mores of society to the learner.
While
Vygotsky saw learning as a cooperative effort, he believed
that the real learning did not occur until the person took
what was discussed and shared with others (intermental) and
incorporated it into her own thinking, i.e., made it her own
(intramental). Piaget would explain it by not merely assimilating
the facts but accommodating them by fitting them to your individual
schema.
Summary
KEY COMPONENTS
OF THEORY:
- Cognitive
development and language are shaped by a person's interaction
with others.
- Children's
knowledge, values, and attitudes develop through interaction
with others.
- Social
interactions that assist in learning increase a child's
level of thinking.
IMPLICATIONS
FOR LEARNING:
- Students
will learn best through activity.
- Students
should be encouraged to communicate frequently with self
and with teacher.
- Using
a higher level of language will help students to increase
their language levels.
- Assisted
problem solving creates learning.
IMPLICATIONS
FOR TEACHING:
- Teachers
should use interactive methods of teaching such as hands
on activities and group work.
- Teachers
should present students with challenges to increase problem
solving abilities.
- Teachers
should frequently use a high level of language.
- Teachers
should use scaffolding to increase students' cognitive abilities.
