Vygotsky

I wish I've read Vygotsky earlier, now he's my other favourite Russian writer, besides Chekov. Then again, if I've read him in secondary school like I did Chekov, there would not have been any love lost, there was nothing in children then that I would have found to be of any interest or relevance to me.

Here's one-third of my second assignment due this Friday ( which is Thursday there, thank God for the time difference).

Lev Vygotsky

1. Explain Vygotsky's key concepts: Zone of Proximal Development, Scaffolding , Play. How do such relate to educational practice?

Vygotsky defined the zone of proximal development 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.'

He gave the example of two children with the standardised mental age of an eight year old. One though can solve problems up to that a 9 year old can do while the other up to the difficulty level of a twelve year old with guidance.

He concluded that they are not of the same mental age after all and that their learning would eventually have to take on a different rate. Whatever the child can already do is learning that has already matured but those functions in their embryonic stage that are still maturing is what Vygotsky called the zone of proximal development.

Educators thus need to identify two levels of the state of a child's development: 'the actual development level and the zone of proximal development'. It is in this zone where the child can achieve his potential with the guidance of an adult or his more capable peers. The ability to cater to this part of a child's development not only ensures that he is not bogged down and turned off by things he has already internalised but allows him to reach a higher level of development.

Scaffolding is ' the gradual withdrawal of adult control and support as a function of children’s increasing mastery of a given task.' based on the ideas of Jerome Bruner. The educator is like the support that gives the children an extra boost as he finds his way to a new stage of learning. However his role is eventually diminished as ' what a child can do with assistance today she will be able to do by herself tomorrow.' ( Vygotsky 1978 p87)

Vygotsky sees the function of the educator in the process of scaffolding more as that of 'a facilitator of cognitive development'. While acting in this role he should be a collaborator in this process who together with the children work towards accomplishing joint goals.

Play creates a zone of proximal development in a child where he is capable of behaving beyond his age. It contains 'all developmental tendencies in a condensed form'. Where two sisters cannot be models of behaviour in real life, when they play sisters they strive to be what they believe is the ideal that is expected from each of them. Though it arises from their imagination, that is initially very close to real life, they subordinate their immediate impulses to the rules of the situation if it was real.

It is thus a strong tool in assisting the child in his development. Opportunities for play should be created in the learning environment to enable this process to take place. Contrary to ensuring that the child is constructively occupied all the time, time off to play can have a very positive effect on the child. Not only does he runs through his experiences, he recreates this in his own controlled environment and characters with real life rules, bridging what he is already capable of and what he can be and eventually becomes capable to function in the role he has played out

References

www.comnet.ca

www.uea.ac.uk

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