EDCALP

1. MODULE 9
Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory
“What a child can do in cooperation today,
tomorrow she/he will be able to do alone”
-Lev Vygotsky

2. When Vygotsky was a young boy he was educated
under a teacher who used the “Socratic Method”. This
method was a systematic question and answer
approach that allowed Vygotsky to examine current
thinking and practice higher levels of understanding.
This experience, together with his interest in literature
and his work as a teacher, led him to recognize Social
interaction and Language as two central factors in
cognitive development. His theory became known as
the Socio-Cultural Theory of Development.

3. Piaget and Vygotsky
Vygotsky worked on his theory around the same time as
Piaget in between the 1920’s and 30’s but they had clear
differences in their views about cognitive development. Since
Piaget was taken up already in the preceding module, it would
be easier now to see how his views compare with Vygotsky’s.

4. PIAGET VYGOTSKY
More individual in focus
Believed that there are
universal stages of
cognitive development
More social in focus
Did not propose stages but
emphasized on cultural
factors in cognitive
development
Did not give much
emphasis on language
Stressed the role of
language in cognitive
development

5. Zone of Proximal Development
When a child attempts to perform a skill alone, she may not be
immediately proficient at it. So, alone she may perform at a certain
level of competency. We refer to this as the zone of actual
development.

6. More Knowledge Other(MKO)
-competent adult or a more advanced peer, the child can perform at a
higher level of competency.
The zone of proximal development represents a learning opportunity
where a knowledgeable adult such as a teacher or parent or a more
advanced peer can assist the child’s development.

7. • The support or assistance that lets the child accomplish a task he
cannot accomplish independently is called scaffolding. Scaffolding is
not about doing the task for the child while he watches. It is not
about doing shortcuts for the child.
• Scaffolding should involve the judicious assistance given by the adult
or peer so that the child can move from the zone of actual zone of
proximal development.
• The instructor should scaffold in such a way that the gap is bridged
between the learner’s current skill levels and the desired skill level.

8. Scaffold and Fade-away technique- as learners
become more proficient, able to complete tasks on
their own that they could not initially do without
assistance, the guidance can be withdrawn.

9. When the MKO scaffolds, the process moves in four levels:
1. I do, you watch.
2. I do, you help.
3. You do, I help.
4. You do, I watch.
Learning will depend in the skill of the MKO, and the learners
readiness and ability to learn and the difficulty of the skill being
learned.