Get in the Zone
Assigned Learning Theorist: Lev Vygotsky
Theory: Theory of Social Development
(1896-1934)
By: Maricela Gonzalez
EDTC-8371-01_Thrs/Prct Effct Online
Dr. J. Corbeil
Introduction
Lev Vygotsky’s was a developmental psychologist, whose
contributions to education are still very much alive in today’s
classrooms. He believed that learning happens because humans
interact with the environment. Vygotsky social development theory
focuses on how social interaction takes place before development.
(http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html)
In addition, Vygotsky believed that humans learn outside of their
comfort level (not too complex). Our best learning occurs when we
are in that Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/omcadre6/BookProject/vygotsky.htm
ZPD
• Learning is a social activity that is guided by teachers, or adults that are more knowledgeable of a certain concept.
• The process of learning and problem solving can be segmented into 3 categories: Independent by the child, activities that can’t be
done with help, and those skills that can be done within the Zone of Proximal Development.
• As Vygotsky (1987) puts it, ” What the child is able to do in collaboration today he will be able to do independently tomorrow.”
http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1657-07902011000100010
Brief Description of the Learning Theorist (Lev Vygotsky)
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Lev Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist.
Vygotsky came up with the theory of social
development.
He was born in Belarus in November 1896,
and died in June 1934
He had two children.
https://communic8tion.wordpress.com/
Over View of Learning Theorist- Lev Vygotsky
Vygotsky lived in Russia and during the Russian revolution.
His published work became known in the early 1960’s.
His theory is one foundations of constructivism., which underlie three major themes:
Social interaction, the more knowledge MKO- of which is anyone that has a better
understanding or ability than the learner themselves. , and the Zone of Proximal
Development.- the distance between a student’s ability to perform a task under adult
guidance or with peer collaboration, and the student’s ability to solve the problems
independently. Vygotsky believed that learning happened in this zone.
Over View of Lev Vygotsky’s Learning Theory
Description of Lev Vygotsky’s Learning Theory
Sociocultural theory focuses not only how adults and peers influence individual learning, but also on how cultural beliefs
and attitudes impact how instruction and learning take place.
According to Vygotsky, children are born with basic biological constraints on their minds. Each culture, however, provides
what he referred to as 'tools of intellectual adaptation.' These tools allow children to use their basic mental abilities in a
way that is adaptive to the culture in which they live. While one culture might emphasize memorization strategies like notetaking, other cultures might utilize tools like reminders or memorization, for example.
Observations
"Vygotsky claimed that human cognition, even when carried out in isolation, is inherently sociocultural because it is
affected by the beliefs, values, and tools of intellectual adaptation passed to individuals by their culture. And because these
values and intellectual tools may vary dramatically from culture to culture, Vygotsky believed that neither the course nore
the content of intellectual growth was as "universal" as Piaget had assumed."
(Shaffer, 2009)
http://cohenovate.com/tag/lev-vygotsky/
Explanation of How Lev Vygotsky’s Learning Theory
Supports Online Teaching & Learning
Online learning• Vygotsky’s theory can directly tie into online learning in
the following way:
 when computers are used for learning the social
dynamics of learning can be engaged. People are very
social online and so it can also transcend to the
classroom experience and help build knowledge and
understanding.
• Group work can further assist with online learning, as
students are forced to work together to learn concepts.
http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/omcadre6/BookProject/vygotsky.htm
Continued…
When technology is utilized to help students learn, it can better
assist in group learning rather than students learning on their own.
“For instance, other things added to the cognitive popularity such as
‘the rise of computer technology open the doors to a design minus
that matched well with teaching and educational psychology
(Dempsey Riser pg 53).”
https://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/08/23/students-e-learning-likes/
Strengths & Weaknesses of the Theory
Strengths:
Focuses on using hands-on experiences which allows students to actively participate in the learning process
Provides teachers with a general idea of the capacity at which their students are able to learn and what is necessary to
maximize their learn
Because this theory does promote hands-on activities and stresses the importance of the learning environment,
different types of learners will be able to explore information on their own and make connections to information they
previously learned. This allows each individual student to learn the information in a way that is more meaningful and
understandable.
Weaknesses:
Many critics believe that all children are different and that they do not necessary learn at the same pace and
consistency that his theory suggests. Therefore, many people feel that the ages assigned to each stage are inaccurate
and cannot always be applied in the sense that Piaget intended.
Many critics also think that younger children sometimes have understanding of certain concepts and mental processes
but they do not process the motors and language skills to display this knowledge. Thus, some of the timing of Piaget’s
theory can sometimes be inaccurate due to a child’s ability to understand something faster than they can demonstrate
that understanding.
Overall, developmental theory lacks the appropriate flexibility to account for students with different learning abilities
since the stages have specific ages assigned
(http://social.jrank.org/pages/145/Cognitive-Development.html
Analysis of the Future of the Learning Theory (based on current research literature)
“Vygotsky identified the essence of cognitive development as the mastery of auxiliary stimuli to
accomplish a cognitive operation that is not achievable through natural processes (Gredler, pg. 5).”
Humans start off with the ‘absence of self-regulation,’ to eventual ‘self-regulation’ of themselves.
Vygotsky’s research on ‘memory and attention’ would be the avenue that brought out the four stages of
cognitive development to further his theory’s implications. Furthermore, Vygotsky believed that
humans have “an internally connected special system subjected in its evolution to a single law derived
from the central leading function, the function of forming concepts (Gredler, pg. 8).” We come to selfregulate through this extensive web of processes, by eventually being able to harbor relationships
between concepts. In order to “develop mastery of one’s own thinking (Gredler, pg. 5),” people must
go through each of these formative stages of cognition. This includes the two pre-mastery stages,
external regulation of one’s own thinking, and internal regulation of which occurs in adolescence.
Vygotsky conducted auxiliary stimuli experiments in which he monitored memory, attention and
concept formation to “externalize the participant’s cognitive behavior.” He theorized that “each new
stage is a transformation of the prior level of development, and are simply benchmarks of cognitive
development (Gredler, pg. 6).” For example, “in early childhood perception is the dominant function of
consciousness.” Then when a child reaches the school age, memory is more dominant in how they tend
to perceive things. Therefore, it was deduced that children that go to school develop different mental
processes than those that don’t, as development is both socially and culturally developed. Therefore,
my analysis of the future of the Theory of Social Development is that as online learning creates more
online social interaction in learning students will learn at a higher and more effective rate.
References:
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gredler, M.E. (2009). Hiding in Plain Sight: The Stages of Mastery/Self-Regulation in Vygotsky’s
Cultural- Historical Theory. Educational Psychologist, 44 (1), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/00461520802616259
Shaffer, D. R. (2009). Social and Personality Development. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html
http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/omcadre6/BookProject/vygotsky.htm
http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1657-07902011000100010
https://communic8tion.wordpress.com/
https://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/08/23/students-e-learning-likes
http://cohenovate.com/tag/lev-vygotsky/