Vygotskys Theory Of Cognitive Development Flashcards
Zone of Proximal of Development (ZPD)
The gap between a child’s current level of development, defined by the cognitive tasks they can perform unaided, and what they can potentially do with the right help from a more expert other, who may be an adult or a more advanced child.
Scaffolding
An approach to instruction that aims to support a learner only when absolutely necessary ie to provide a support framework to assist the learning process. It helps the learner to cross the zone of proximal development and advance as much as they can, given their stage of development.
The Social and Individual
-Vygotsky saw cognitive development as a social process of learning from more experienced others - ‘experts’. According to Vygotsky, every function in the child’s cognitive development appears twice.
-Knowledge is first intermental, between the more and less expert individual - this is the social level.
-then intramental - within mind of less expert individual - individual level
Overview Vygotsky
-Russian psychologist who was influenced by Piagets work. They agreed on many of the basics of cognitive development.
-for example, children’s reasoning abilities develop in a particular sequence, and that such abilities are qualitatively different at different ages, with a child typically capable of particular ages.
-however, they different on whether cognitive development was a social process and how important language was in the development of knowledge.
Elementary and higher mental functions
Vygotsky proposed that children are born with elementary mental processes such as perception and memory.
These are transformed into higher mental functions, such as the use of mathematical systems by the influence of culture.
Elementary mental functions are biological and a form of natural development.
Higher mental functions are exclusively human.
The role of culture is to transform elementary mental functions into higher mental functions.
The Role of Language
-Vygotsky believed that culture is transmitted by experts using semiotics (the signs and symbols developed within a particular culture)
-Language is the semiotic system of the foremost importance, but mathematical symbols are valuable too.
-Therefore language and maths are the means by which culture is transmitted from expert to child.
-To begin with, language takes form of shared dialogues between the adult and child (pre-intellectual speech), but as the child develops mental representation, they begin to communicate with themselves. In this way language (semiotics) enables intellectual development.
The Zone of Proximal Development
-a child’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) is the region where cognitive development takes place.
-V believed that in learning precedes development
-V thought that learning or cognitive development doesn’t take place in the area of current development (ie where the child already is) nor does it take place too far ahead of what the child can already do independently.
-in the first instance, nothing new would be learned and in the second instance, the new challenges would be too far from child’s currently knowledge to be useful.
Scaffolding
Term used to describe process of assisting a learner through the ZPD. The experts create a ‘scaffold’ ie a temporary support which is gradually withdrawn when the child is more able to work independently.
Bruner- Scaffolding
-a psychologist who was influenced by Vygotsky. Wood, Bruner, and Ross identified 5 aspects of scaffolding which are general ways in which an adult can help a child better understand and perform a task:
1) recruitment - engaging the child’s interest in the task
2)Reduction of degrees of freedom - focusing the child on the task and where to start with solving it.
3)direction maintenance- encouraging the child in order to help them to stay motivated and continue trying to complete the task
4)marking critical features- highlighting the most important parts of the task
5)demonstration- showing the child how to do aspects of the task.
Wood et al
-noted the particular strategies that experts used when scaffolding. Generally , as a learner crosses the ZPD the level of help given in scaffolding declines from level 5 to level 1
-an adult is more likely to use high level of help strategies when first helping, then gradually withdrawing the level of help as the child grasps the task.
Level of help - 5
Demonstration
-parent draws object with crayons
Level 4
Preparation for child
-parent helps child grasp a crayon
Level 3
Indication of materials
Parent points to crayon
Level 2
Specific verbal instructions
Parent says ‘how about a green crayon’
Level 1
General prompts
Parent says ‘now draw something else’s
