ASSIGNMENT 1 POST 3- Vygotsky

Lev Semenovich Vygotsky

" In the process of historical development social man changes the ways and means of his behavior, transforms the matural instincts and functions, elaborates and creates new forms of behavior."

• Lev Vygotsky, born in the U.S.S.R. in 1896, is responsible for the social development theory of learning. He proposed that social interaction profoundly influences cognitive development. Central to Vygotsky's theory is his belief that biological and cultural development do not occur in isolation.

• Vygotsky, alternatively ton Piaget, believed that development is a process that should be analyzed, instead of a product to be obtained. According to Vygotsky, the development process that begins at birth and continues until death is too complex to to be defined by stages.

• Vygotsky believed 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.
  
  

http://web.syr.edu/~hcavino/vygotsky.gif

• Therefore, Vygotsky focused on the connections between people and the cultural context in which they act and interact in shared experiences. 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.

http://chd.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/theorists/constructivism/vygotsky.htm

CRITICAL REFLECTION

One of the key innovators of the social constructivist movement, Vygotsky focused on the idea that learning commences in the social world. Students are able to learn language and ways of thinking from others. I thoroughly believe that enriching and valuable learning can be achieved collaboratively. The knowledge students acquire through interacting socially with the teacher and peers will become their individual knowledge. The most obvious way to encourage collaborative learning is through the use of group work.

An example that comes to mind is when I was studying for the HSC. While there were times I preferred to study on my own, there were times when I learnt alot by simply discussing with my friends. In quite a few subjects we formed 'study groups', and in these groups we discussed syllabus points and successfully bounced off each other to help remember specific points. I thoroughly enjoyed these study groups because not only was it a more fun way to study, but it also helped me remember important information I needed for my exams.