Vygotsky's social development theory stresses that social interaction plays a fundamental role in cognitive development. Children can achieve more when supported by social interaction such as collaboration with peers or guidance from adults. Vygotsky defined the "zone of proximal development" as the difference between what a child can do independently and what they can do with help. Within this zone, scaffolding from social interaction allows children to develop skills and internalize higher-level thinking.

1. Vygotsky’s Social
Development Theory
By: Bethany

2. Key Points
 Vygotsky's theories stress the fundamental role of social
interaction in the development of cognition Vygotsky, 1978), as
he believed strongly that community plays a central role in the
process of "making meaning.”
 Social interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of
cognitive development.
 Vygotsky places considerably more emphasis on social factors
contributing to cognitive development

3. Zone of Proximal
Development
 “Vygotskybelieved that this life long process of development was
dependent on social interaction and that social learning actually
leads to cognitive development. This phenomena is called the
Zone of Proximal Development . Vygotsky describes it as "the
distance between the actual development level as determined by
independent problem solving and the level of potential
development as determined through problem solving under adult
guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers" (Vygotsky,
1978). In other words, a student can perform a task under adult
guidance or with peer collaboration that could not be achieved
alone. The Zone of Proximal Development bridges that gap
between what is known and what can be known. Vygotsky
claimed that learning occurred in this zone.”

4. Social Interaction-
Individual learning

5. Tools to higher thinking
skills
 “According to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from a
culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social
environments. Initially children develop these tools to serve solely
as social functions, ways to communicate needs. Vygotsky
believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking
skills.”

6. Cultural Development
 He states: “Every function in the child’s cultural development
appears twice: first, between people (interpsychological) and
then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to
voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of
ideas. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships
between individuals” (Vygotsky, 1978, p.57).

7. Vygotsy’s Theories
 Vygotsky suggested that teachers should learn the
level of each child's cognitive/social development
and build or construct their learning experience
from there on. (textbook pg 81)
 This process is also know as Scaffolding
 Scaffolding is an instructional technique whereby
the teacher models the desired learning strategy or
task, then gradually shifts responsibility to the
students.

8. How to Scaffold
 Begin by modeling performance while thinking out loud.
 Pair advanced learners with developing ones.
 Provide prompts, links, guides, and structures.
 Fade when appropriate.

9. The Vygotskian
Framework

10. Vygotskyv.s Piaget
 “Vygotsky's ideas and theories are often compared to Jean Piaget,
especially his cognitive- developmental theory. They had a conflict
explaining that development concepts should not be taught until
children are in the appropriate developmental stage. Opposing
Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, Piaget believed that the
most important source of cognition is the children themselves. But
Vygotsky argued that the social environment could help the child's
cognitive development. The social environment is an important
factor which helps the child culturally adapt to new situations when
needed. Both Vygotsky and Piaget had the common goal of finding
out how children master ideas and then translate them into
speech.”

11. Conclution
 I agree with Vygotsky's theory over Piaget’s theory. The child’s
cultural setting and environment greatly effects their learning That
teacher and students should work collaboratively to learn from
each other. That are social interactions with are peers is
extremely important to our learning process. Social interaction
really do play a essential role in the process of cognitive
development. We all are learning from each other and our
surrounding and that is what we take into our lives.

12. Credits
 http://members.iinet.net.au/~aamcarthur/4_Mar_2008_files/Vygotskys
_Social_Development_Theory.pdf
 http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-
theory.html
 http://mennta.hi.is/starfsfolk/solrunb/vygotsky.htm
 http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1scaf.htm
 http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/vygotsky.htm
 http://vygotsky-vision.wikispaces.com/B.+Scaffolding