CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY MONTEREY BAY

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1 Learning Theory: Lev Vygotsky Theory of Social Development 1 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY MONTEREY BAY Learning Theory Critical Analysis 2 MASTER OF Instructional Science and Technology Johanna Mahoney April 16, 2013

2 Learning Theory: Lev Vygotsky Theory of Social Development 2 Section 1 Key Concepts and Principles Lev Vygotsy was born November 17, 1896 and died June 11, 1934 at a young age. His actual work in psychology did not take place until 1924 when he attended the Institute of Psychology in Moscow. Vygotsky s framework focused in Social Development Theory. The Social Development Theory geared towards the mental growth and the social interaction in which children play a role in our society. Vygotsky theories believe to build a foundation of social interaction and development of cognition. Vygosty s goal was to create a psychology that was theoretically and methodologically equal to the task of investigating uniquely human characteristics. (Gredler, 2009). In this paper we will take a look at Vygotsky s theory of Social Development. The key factors that influences learning for cognitive development is the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The theoretical perspective is the development achieved by a child s engagement in social behavior. Social interactions allow children to watch, do, and learn. Vygotsky believe that all learning is social, which suggest that teachers should use small groups to promote discussions and therefore learning in the classroom. (Smagorinsky, 2007). However, when people are alone they begin a thinking process. During the thinking process most people tend to panel out what information went in and

3 Learning Theory: Lev Vygotsky Theory of Social Development 3 what information (learning) went out. In addition, a teachers/instructors role is to perhaps foster the learner and build interaction amongst the classroom. The zone of proximal development is a good way for the learner to develop such needed skills in a classroom environment. The best type of learning by Vygotsky s theory explains children in a classroom environment. Vygotsky believes learning happens by interacting with our environment. They are so many ways to teach in a classroom depending on the learning environment and the style of a teacher. Language such as speech for example is another way to develop a role or setup a thinking pattern for the student to understand the concept from a different angle. Vygotsky s view of speech as serving a developmental role in thinking helps to provide a different approach to talking about literature. ( Smagorinsky, 2007). Development comes from understanding, understanding comes analyzing, and these are the tools needed to teach and comprehend a students need to learn. Although, Vygotsky died at a young age his major strengths possess in the logic of his common theories such as zone of proximal development and social interaction. Vygotsky was not only fascinated with children but he was also fascinated by their behavior. Social interaction such as face-to-face contact with people permits communication from learning from one another. Vygotsky s studies not only have proven to work with children but also with animals as well. a child s greatest achievements are possible in play, achievements that tomorrow will become her basic level of real action. (Vygotsky,1978). Vygotsky s theory shows some signs of weakness. In some cases if you

4 Learning Theory: Lev Vygotsky Theory of Social Development 4 allow a child to do independent work. This disposition slows the child s cognitive development. For a child to develop fully and learn they must be led thoroughly into more complex area. Also Vygotsky was criticizes for his work on the zone of proximal development. According to Lindholm and Ziemke, 2003, zone of proximal development lacked explanation concerning which psychological processes are involved in the transformation process. Section 2 Implications on Instruction Even though Vygotsky was penalized for certain aspects of his studies his teachings allowed human interaction and behavior to coexists together. The implications of Vygotsky unfortunately, dying at a young age. The time her was alive only proved that he was good at analyzing children and the elements of behavior. His theory today implicates around society and learning within the classroom environment. The importance of language, social interaction, and social development are still current today. Vygotsky s theory is still being used in classrooms today not only by children but young adults as well. The theory is useful because the best way to get a reaction from students is to include interaction from them. The cognitive tasks that a child can accomplish in collaboration with the teacher today, he can accomplish alone tomorrow. ( Gredler,2009). Zone of proximal development is being used throughout the classroom environment. The application of Vygotsky theory will improve the learning environment by the progression of the learner. Each assigned task given to an individual

5 Learning Theory: Lev Vygotsky Theory of Social Development 5 slowly develops into something much bigger then they could imagine. The financial aid counselor s at California State University Monetrey Bay (CSUMB) are learning different rules and regulations each day. The zone of proximal development displays when a counselor is being taught how to do a task systemically. Once the task is done then the counselor must venture off own their own to complete the same task. Vygotsky s theory is good to implement not only in the classroom but also in a workflow environment. Section 3 Real World Example A real world example that utilizes Vygotsky s theory is at CSUMB. The example focuses on undergraduate, graduate, incoming, and continuing students. The financial aid analyst gathers reports and queries and then gives them to the Associate Director of the financial aid office. The report is a list of students who fall into the category of not passing their courses successively. The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a process the student must demonstrated their understanding of Federal requirements and regulations. Part of this process the student must attend a SAP workshop and complete a quiz at the end. The initial job of the counselor is to provide the tools needed in order for the student to understand what they have learned and to complete an assessment to further their educational goals. The zone of proximal development could be considered in this example to place the counselor who demonstrated the task. The student then takes the tasks they have learn and apply to the quiz and to their educational goals. If the

6 Learning Theory: Lev Vygotsky Theory of Social Development 6 student is not aware of the regulations and how their grades can effect their financial aid eligibly. This could cause a problem for them to continue attending CSUMB. Some of the students who are second time offenders however, are still lacking the knowledge or understanding the importance of learning and understanding the concepts. Vygotsky s theory is that the signs and symbols used for communication in a culture are also the original mechanism for developing children s thinking. (Gredler,2009). Perhaps the financial aid office needs to change their SAP teaching strategies in order to allow the student to be more interactive in achieving their goals. Overall Vygotsky theory managed to set different paths for more improvement in analyzing children and adults. Behaviorism and social development helps when identifying the learner. Action and reaction stems from zone of primal development. Vygotsky was a man of ideals and saw the world differently. He put into prospective the changes of development and how one thinks.

7 Learning Theory: Lev Vygotsky Theory of Social Development 7 Reference: Cherry, K. (2013). Lev vygotsky biography. Retrieved from Lindblom, J., & Ziemke, T. (2003). Social situatedness of natural and artificial intelligence: Vygotsky and beyond. Adaptive Behavior, 11(2), McLeod, S. (2007). Simply psychology. Retrieved from Shaffer, D. (1999). Developmental psychology: childhood and adolescence. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Vygotsky and the Social Dynamics of Classrooms Peter Smagorinsky The English Journal Vol. 97, No. 2 (Nov., 2007), pp Published by: National Council of Teachers of English Stable URL: Vygotsky, S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard : Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data.