Lev Vygotsky

1. Lev Vygotsky

2. Bio • Soviet Belarusian psychologist • Founder of a theory of human cultural and biosocial development • Theories stress the interaction in the development of cognition and developed a socio-cultural approach to cognitive development.

3. Social Influences on Cognitive Development • Believed children are curious and actively involved in their own learning and the discovery and development of new understandings • Much of a child's important learning occurs through social interactions with a skillful tutor • Tutor may model behaviors and/or provide verbal instructions for the child • Referred to this as co-operative or collaborative dialogue • Child seeks understanding of the actions or instructions and acquires the knowledge it, later to be used in their own performance

4. Zone of Proximal Development • Relates to the difference between what children achieve independently and what they can achieve with the guidance and encouragement of a tutor • Vygotsky views the Zone of Proximal Development as the areas where little guidance should be given in order to allow the child to develop their own skills. • Also sees interactions with peers as ways of developing skills and strategies

5. Vygotsky and Language Language plays 2 critical roles in cognitive development: • It is the main source to which adults use to interact and demonstrate information to children • Language itself becomes a key tool of intellectual adaptation

6. Classroom Applications • A contemporary educational application of Vygotsky's theories is "reciprocal teaching", used to improve students' ability to learn from text. • In this method, teachers and students use collaborate in learning and practicing 4 keys skills: summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting