Runner head:VYGOTSKY 1

Lev Vygotsky

Noelle Roman

Touro College

Authors Note

Noelle Roman, Department of Psychology, Touro College of Staten Island Campus.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed [email protected]

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss a psychologist who made a great contribution in the fields of child

development and cognitive psychology. Discussing the concept of semiotic mediation,

appropriation, internalization,Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), More Knowledge Other

(MKO) and scaffolding in particular were reviewed to provide understanding of the process of

cognitive development and learning. Under the concept of semiotic mediation, the issue of how

children learn through imitating adults was examined with inputs from second language

acquisition theories. Vygotsky’s concept of appropriation provides the springboard for a

discussion on how children may appropriate the psychological tool of language through

modeling and text meditation in the context of second language learning. It is hopedthat the

understanding of these concepts could lead to more insights in orderto understand the various

changes observable in children at early age as they nudge to achieve their potential in their

literacy development. The information gathered maybe used by parents or teachers in preschool

as the foundation to help children acquire literacy skills at early age.

Keywords;Socio-culture theory, scaffolding, early literacy, More Knowledge Other

(MKO),Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Reciprocal Teaching

Lev Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky was a developmental psychologist, a brilliant man known for his Sociocultural

Theory. He believed that social interactions, children go through a continuous process of

learning. However, that culture profoundly influences this process. Imitation, guided learning,

and collaborative learning all play a critical part in his theory. Lev Vygotsky was born on

November 17, 1896 in Orsha,a city in Belarus. At the early age of one Vygotsky’s parents

moved to the city of Gomel and raised him there. Vygotsky’s father was a banker, his mother

was a teacher and he had seven siblings. Vygotsky enrolled at the University of Moscow in 1913

where he studied medicine. He realized later on he was more interested in legal studies and

switched to law. He graduated from Moscow University with a law degree in 1917. In 1917 is

when he began to work in Psychology. Working as a teacher in Gomel, he was head of the

psychological laboratory at the Teachers Training Institute at this time he was collecting

information for both his thesis and a book named Pedagogical Psychology.

Vygotsky was a creative writer and published six books on psychology topics over a ten year

period. His interests were quite diverse but often centered on issues of child development and

education. He also explored such subjects as the psychology of art and language development.

Lev Vygotsky was considered a seminal thinker in psychology and much of his work is still

being discovered and explored today.

Lev Vygotsky suggested that human development results from a dynamic interaction between

individuals from and society. Through this interaction, children learn gradually and continuously

from parents and teachers. This learning however can vary from one culture to the next. It is

important to the next. It is important to note that Vygotsky’s theory emphasizes the dynamic

nature of this interaction. Some schools have traditionally held an instruction model in which a

teacher transmits information to students. Vygotsky’s theory on social development promotes

learning contexts in which students play an active role in learning.

The Elements of Sociocultural theory with children, especially toddlers and preschoolers often

speak specifically to themselves as they are trying to understand something. This self talk helps

them to work things out in their own minds. The MKO (More Knowledge Other) is normally

thought as being a teacher or an older adult. It’ssomewhat self-explanatory referring to anyone

who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner with respect to a

particular task, process or concept.

According to Vygotsky the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the distance between the

actual developmental levelas determined by independent problem solving and level of potential

development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration

with more skilled peers. The ZPD contains two features Scaffolding and Reciprocal Teaching.

Scaffolding refers to the appropriate assistance given by the teacher to assist the student

accomplish a task. The instructor requires to exhibit how to solve a problem while controlling the

learning environment so the student can take things step by step expanding their knowledge

without excessive frustration. Reciprocal Teaching is a highly successful teaching method

providing an environment of an open dialogue between student and teacherwhich goes beyond a

simple question and answer session. This method teachers and students work together in learning

and practicing four key skills such as summarizing, questioning, clarifying and predicting.

The four basic principles underlying Vygotsky’s framework children build their knowledge.

Development cannot be separated from its social context. Learning can lead to development.

Language plays a main role in mental development. Vygotsky establishes thatthere are two types

of mental functions the higher mental function and the lower mental function. According to

Vygotsky, development leads to build up of the higher mental function with mediated cognition

increasingly playing the main role among all other psychological functions that promote self-

regulation in the individual. The lower mental functions are those with which we are born, are

the natural functions and are genetically determined. Behavior resulting from lower mental

functions are limited. It is conditioned by what we can do. These functions we limited our

behavior to a reaction or response to the environment.

Lev Vygotsky believes that human development is a process of cultural development, being the

activity of the man engine in the process of human development. The concept of activity in this

way acquires an especially important role in this theory. For him, the process of formation of the

higher psychological functions will be through practical and instrumental, but not individual

activity but in the reaction or social cooperation.

Theories

Vygotsky placed more emphasis on social contributions to the process of development. He

focused on the connections between people and the socio-culture context in which they act

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.

Current Research

The understanding of child development has changed over the years. Interest in the field of child

development began to emerge early 20th century but it tends to focus on abnormal behavior.

Finally, researchers became more and more interested in other topics including typical child

development as well as the influences on development.

Conclusion

With so many psychological school of thoughts on cognitive development introduced, it came as

no surprise that some concepts in Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory are being questioned.

Still, no one can deny the influence of his theories and how they are widely accepted and applied

in the field of education, predominantly early childhood education.

References