Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) was a Russian psychologist who developed the sociocultural theory of cognitive development, which emphasizes how social interaction and culture impact cognitive development. He is known for concepts like the zone of proximal development and scaffolding. Vygotsky believed that social learning precedes development and that communication with more capable peers or adults helps children challenge themselves cognitively. His work influenced the fields of education and psychology and highlighted the role of social and cultural factors in learning.

1. Exploring Lev VygotskyIT Leader Presentation Shunji Q. Brown-Woods October 4, 2011 Project 3

2. Why I chose Vygotsky? I find the sociocultural learning theory very interesting. I see the applicability of the theory to instructional technology. As a parent, child development is particularly intriguing to me. His research provides a seminal contribution to the fields of education and psychology.

3. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) Image courtesy of: http://www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/images/portrait.jpg

4. Lev Vygotsky Vygotsky was born in Russia in 1896. He worked early on as a school teacher and eventually developed stronger ties to the psychology field. He received his higher education degree from Moscow State University in 1917 and worked at the Institute of Psychology. He died young of tuberculosis at the age of 37. Prior to his death, he conducted extensive research related to education and learning, and developed some key ideas about cognitive development. He is acknowledged as the founder of the socio-cultural theory of learning. (en.Wikipedia.org,2011); (Cherry, 2011)

5. Notable contributions to Education and Psychology As a founder and major contributor to the field of psychology, Vygotsky was seen as a leader in the interpretation of social interaction and how learning/development were impacted. He is notably given credit for the notion of “zone of proximal development” which describes how proximity and communication amongst individuals influences cognition. Additionally, he conducted research in child development in order to develop an understanding of the relationship of culture and interpersonal communication. He looked at how language and thought are developed, as well as, how we develop higher mental functioning capacity and he studied abnormal human development, too. Key to the sociocultural theoretical premise is how language and communication compounded with the external social environment, children are nurtured and their learning is “scaffolded”, thus built upon for higher order functioning (de Valenzuela, 2002) (de Valenzuela, 2002)

6. Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) Key Points: Tasks that can be completed independently without assistance in relation to the tasks that can be completed with assistance and/or guidance of adults of children with more skill at the task

7. Sociocultural Learning Theory We learn through our interactions. Social skills are important in development as well as ability to master concepts through independent means. (Learning-Theories Knowledgebase, 2011) http://www.bestwayguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Childrens-Social-Development.jpg

8. Key Points of Vygotsky’s Work Contrasted to Piaget’s theories of child development Vygotsky believed that children learn at various stages by interaction with different stimuli His work and contributions to the field of education and psychology are numerous The research of Vygotsky has been important across continental lines, thus has been translated in several different languages (Russian, German, English, and others) Inferences can be made to the extent to which the teacher influence guides learner or whether the teacher facilitates learning through support of students needs and gaps in understanding Children learn through imitation and then a more intentional approach to learning is undertaken with maturity

9. The next phase of this assignment is how his socio-cultural learning development theory is applied to education and the use of instructional technology with students. It is it interesting how students learn and much of Vygotsky’s research focused on this area. He found that socially, children develop and are influenced by their environment as well as interactions with other children regardless of age. Younger child learns by interacting with older children and even adults; but, the influence on learning is strong from their peer group. For example, for students with learning disabilities such as speech, language, and/or motor delay, typical peer students may be placed in the same classroom with them to assist in furthering development in the areas mentioned. Social interactions like play and general instructional time as guided helpers in the classroom, typical peers serve as the norm for age and development which assists in age-appropriate development for special needs students who lack development as mentioned. Adaptive learning devices also play a role in our modern delivery of instruction to help to meet the needs of students in this manner to enhance social acceptability through independent development. Sociocultural Theory Applied

10. In summary, Vygotsky’s theory on the impact of social and cultural factors’ influence on learning has contributed to the field of education significantly. Meaningful discussions regarding the application can be reviewed and it is obvious how students can be challenged to reach higher order mental functioning by working with peers and by being provided adequate resources to guide learning exploration in a social and cultural context. We cannot expect students to gain cognitively, if they are not provided internal stimulation and external resources to explore from various perspectives. Often, in education, students are expected to mirror learning, but in order for them to learn, reinforce, and retain conceptually, attention to social factors and expectations must be given as well.

11. Bibliography Too extensive to list here, but entire listing of works can be found at www.marxist.org Selected Publications Educational Psychology, 1926 Play and its role in the Mental development of the Child, essay 1933 Thought and Learning, 1934 Mind in Society, The development of higher psychological processes, 1978 Thinking and Speech, 1986

12. References Anonymous. (n.d.) Lev Vygotsky retrieved September 13, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Vygotsky Cherry, K. (2011)Lev Vygotsky Biography. Retrieved October 4, 2011 Http://psychology.com/profilesmz/p/vygotsky.htm?p=1 De Valenzuela, J. (2002). Definitions of Sociocultural Theory. Retrieved September 13, 2011 from http://www.unm.edu/~devalenz/handouts/sociocult.html. Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2011, October). Social Development Theory (Vygotsky) at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved October 4, 2011 from http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html http://www.bestwayguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Childrens-Social-Development.jpg http://www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/images/portrait.jpg