Theories of Cognitive Development: Lev Vygotsky
2014 Born in Orsha, a part of the Russian Empire (now known as Belarus) on 17th November 189, !"#otsk" was a pioneer of ps"$holo#"% he $ontribute& mu$h important resear$h to the fiel&' e #ra&uate& from the os$ow *tate +niversit" in 1917, an& went on to work in man" resear$h fa$ilities an& an& e&u$ational establishments in os$ow, enin#ra& an& -harkov' is e.tensive resear$h into $o#nitive &evelopment has lea& his theor" to be one of the most important of it/s kin&' e believe& that $hil&ren/s thinkin# is affe$te& b" their so$ial knowle&#e, whi$h are $ommuni$ate& b" either ps"$holo#i$al (lan#ua#e, number, art) or te$hni$al (books, $al$ulator) means' e was 0 an& sometimes still is 0 often $riti$ise& for bein# an i&ealist an& his overemphasis of the role of lan#ua#e in thinkin# (more on the $riti$isms later)' e was also a ver" popular author, with volumes of his work bein# $lasse& as maor' !"#otsk" rarel" $on&u$te& resear$h% he was more fo$use& on $onstru$tin# the best possible theor" on the transfer of knowle&#e' +nfortunatel", !"#otsk" &ie& at the ver" "oun# a#e of 27 in 1923 from 4uber$ulosis, but on$e his main work was translate& to En#lish in 195, it ha& a maor impa$t on other ps"$holo#i$al resear$h in similar fiel&s'
Vygotsky’s Vy gotsky’s theory of cognitive development 6s state& state& above, !" !"#otsk" #otsk" believe& believe& $hil&ren/ $hil&ren/s s thinkin# thinkin# is affe$te& affe$te& b" their knowle&#e knowle&#e of the so$ial $ommunit" (whi$h is learnt from either te$hni$al or ps"$holo#i$al $ultural tools)' e also su##este& that lan#ua#e is the most important tool for #ainin# this so$ial knowle&#e% the $hil& $an be tau#ht this from other people via lan#ua#e' e &efine& intelli#en$e as the $apa$it" to learn from instru$tion, whi$h emphasises the fa$t there is a reuirement for a more knowle&#able other person or :tea$her/' e referre& to them as ust that; the More Knowledgable ther (-O)' (-O)' -O/s $an be parents, a&ults, tea$hers, $oa$hes, e.perts
?), whi$h is a ke" feature of his theor"' 4here are two levels of attainment for the =>?; •
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evel 1 0 the :present level of &evelopment/' 4his &es$ribes what the $hil& is $apable of &oin# without an" help from others' evel 5 0 the :potential level of &evelopment/' 4his means what the $hil& $oul& potentiall" be $apable of with help from other people or :tea$hers/' 4he #ap between level 1 an& 5 (the present an& potential &evelopment) is what !"#otsk" &es$ribe& as this @one of pro.imal &evelopment' e believe& that throu#h help from other, more knowle&#able people, the $hil& $an potentiall" #ain knowle&#e
alrea&" hel& b" them' owever, the knowle&#e must be appropriate for the $hil&/s level of $omprehension' 6n"thin# that is too $ompli$ate& for the $hil& to learn that isn/t in their =>? $annot be learnt at all until there is a shift in the =>?' Ahen a $hil& &oes attain their potential, this shift o$$urs an& the $hil& $an $ontinue learnin# more $omple., hi#her level material' 6nother important feature of this theor" is scaffolding' Ahen an a&ult provi&es support for a $hil&, the" will a&ust the amount of help the" #ive &epen&in# on their pro#ress' or e.ample, a $hil& learnin# to walk mi#ht at first have both their han&s hel& an& pulle& upwar&s' 6s the" learn to support their own wei#ht, the mother mi#ht hol& both their han&s loosel"' 4hen she mi#ht ust hol& one han&, then eventuall" nothin#' 4his pro#ression of &ifferent levels of help is s$affol&in#' Ct &raws parallels from real s$affol&in# for buil&in#s% it is use& as a support for $onstru$tion of new material (the skill
1 0 Feneral verbal instru$tion (!er" #oo&G Now tr" that a#ain')
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5 0 *pe$ifi$ verbal instru$tion (Fet four bi# blo$ks)
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2 0 other in&i$ates material (Hou nee& this blo$k here)
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3 0 other provi&es material an& prepares it for assembl"
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D 0 other &emonstrates the operation
6fter the session, the $hil& was assesse& on whether the" $oul& $onstru$t the p"rami& on their own' Results showe& that when $hil&ren were #iven varie& support from mothers (low levels of support when the $hil& was &oin# well, an& hi#h levels when the $hil& stru##le&) the" were able to $onstru$t the p"rami& on their own' owever, when the mother $onsistentl" provi&e& the same support, the" seeme& to make the $hil& $on$lu&e the a$tivit" was be"on& their $omprehension an& the $hil& soon lost interest in $onstru$tin# the p"rami&' 4his shows the importan$e of provi&in# the $orre$t level of s$affol&in# when tea$hin# a learner' 6s a final point, !"#otsk" looke& at the role of e#o$entri$
$%ick s%mmary
Emphasise& the role of a tea$her in $o#nitive &evelopment, an& the nee& to have support from a ore -nowle&#able Other, or -O' •
4he @one of pro.imal &evelopment, or =>?, &ifferentiates between a learner/s $urrent &evelopment an& their potential &evelopment when bein# tau#ht from a -O' •
*$affol&in# provi&es an effe$tive wa" to rea$h potential levels of &evelopment, but onl" when &ifferent levels of assistan$e are #iven when reuire&' •
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*o$ial an& $ultural tools are an important means of #ainin# intelli#en$e'
4here is a $lose link between the a$uisition of lan#ua#e an& the &evelopment of thinkin#' •
Cnternalisin# monolo#ues, an& therefore be$omin# a verbal thinker, is a steppin# stone to hi#her levels of thinkin#' •
!"#otsk" provi&e& a ver" influential theor" whi$h provi&e& a meanin#ful so$ial $onte.t in the &evelopment of learnin#' 4he emphasis of $ultural knowle&#e was somethin# unseen in >ia#et/s theor"' Cn the ne.t post, C will be evaluatin# both of the $o#nitive theories (that of Kean >ia#et an& ev !"#otsk") an& then $omparin# an& evaluatin# them a#ainst ea$h other'
