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Sociocultural Theory
Kelli Schlimgen
Dr. Hawkes
ESPY 302
11/16/12
Every student learns differently. When I was younger I understood things better when I
saw them because I was a visual learner. Teaching has changed since our parents and
grandparents went to school. I think the best way for students to learn is through group work.
This allows them to socialize and work on the skills that the student will use for the rest of their
life. It is hard for some students to understand how to communicate with different ages and
cultures of people. When students interact with each other whether it is on the playground or
doing a project kids like to work in groups. Students working in groups have to be held
responsible for their part of the project. They can ask other students in their group questions, and
students can explain the solution in a way that the teacher may not be able to (zone of proximal
development).
Childrens can be influenced greatly by society and culture. Sociocultural theory tells us
there are three ways to pass down a cultural tool from person to person (Scott). They are
imitative learning, instructive learning and collaborative learning (Ormrod). As children speak
they guide themselves through activities and daily tasks with steps. Language plays an important
role in childrens mental development (Scott).
A part of the sociocultural theory is the zone of proximal development. The zone of
proximal development uses what the student can do with the help of a teacher and builds on it
until the student can do the task without the help of the teacher (zone of proximal development).

Scaffolding is also related to the zone of proximal development. It helps the student
increase their skills and knowledge. I think that the sociocultural theory is the best way for
students to learn.
Lev S. Vygotsky was born on November 5th, 1896. (Vygodskaya) When he was growing
up he was a very social boy and was often surrounded by friends. This is one of the reasons he
was interested in the social activity of children and the effects of it. He was a very active boy,
stamp collecting, reading novels, and spending time at the river were a few of his favorite
activities. Vygotskys family was the most educated in their town. His father worked at a bank
and was fluent in four languages. Their mother was well educated and fluent in many languages
also. Lev was the second oldest of the eight children in their family. Their family was very closeknit and did a lot of things together (Vygodskaya). Lev worked hard as a psychologist in Russia.
He identified the sociocultural theory as the specific structures and processes revealed by
individuals that can be traced to their interactions with others. Vygotsky studied the psychology
of art, language and thought, and learning and development with children with special needs. He
worked very hard to create two hundred and seventy pieces of scientific work (Vygodskaya). By
the time he passed away at age thirty-seven, he struggled with tuberculosis for his last 14 years
before it finally took his life (Grace). Vygotskys theory will help future teachers understand the
importance of social culture in the classroom.
The focus of sociocultural theory is that participation in social interactions and culturally
organized activities influences psychological development (Scott). It is a fundamentally new
approach to the problem that learning should be matched with the childs level of development.
Students accomplish more when learning with a group than students accomplish when working
alone (Gallagher).

Sociocultural theorists emphasize the role of social interaction and childrens cultural
heritage in directing the students course of development. Parents, teachers and peers are
especially instrumental in passing along culturally prescribed ways of thinking about and
responding to objects and events. As children gain practice in certain behaviors and cognitive
processes within the context of social interactions, they gradually adopt and adapt these
behaviors and processes as their own. (Omorod) Each persons culture constantly influences
their lives even if they dont believe it. Items in the culture like books and computers teach
children what the expectations of the culture are and how to use these tools. It is time for
parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is
strength.- Maya Angelou

An important part of the sociocultural theory is the zone of proximal development. The
zone of proximal development is the difference between what a learner can do without help but
cannot do by themselves (Omorod). A childs zone of proximal development includes learning
and problem solving. As tasks are mastered, harder ones take their place. There are always things
to learn (Grace). Most people think of examples like this to use in the classroom but they are
used in everyday life for people of all ages. Teachers want to make sure that the activities and
lessons in the class are within the students zone of proximal development (Grace). We dont
want it to be do difficult or too easy because they wouldnt learn from it or would not be able to
understand it. After the teacher reviews the lesson with the students, the students practice a few
problems in the class together and then the students are asked to solve some problems by
themselves. It is also important to know that each student has a different zone of proximal
development.

Scaffolding is closely related to the zone of proximal development. In general scaffolding

means to raise up. Scaffolding is a support mechanism that helps a student successfully perform
a task within their zone of proximal development (Zone of Proximal Development). This can be
with the help of an adult, peer, or teacher. Scaffolding is important because the student is helped
by someone they trust and is knowledgeable about the information. The students remember what
they have learned and build off of it. Scaffolding brings the student to higher level of knowledge
than they were at before (Puntambekar).
When a student has a question about a problem the teacher shouldnt just give them the
answer. The teacher should provide clues to help the student solve the problem. This helps build
up the students knowledge and helps them to solve future problems on their own. An example of
scaffolding in the classroom would be if I am teaching my sixth grade class long division. First, I
would do a problem on the board and talk everyone through the steps. Second, I would pass out
scratch paper so that they could do the problem along with me as I do the problem on the board.
I would verbally walk them through the division process. Lastly, I would ask if there are any
questions and then give them another example and have them do that problem on their own.
Internalization is a process through which a student gradually incorporates socially based
activities into their internal cognitive process (Scott). In class students solve problems in a group
and learn how others process situations. This social learning process allows the student to
internalize the process themselves (Ormrod). Once the student is by themselves and has a
problem they can use the same internalization process to solve the problem. Vygotsky thought
that language and internalizing had a lot to do with the sociocultural theory also (Scott).

Vygotsky stressed that language and thought processes go hand in hand. Kind of like the
quote Youre only as strong as your weakest link. If a student knows their language well they
are able to communicate better than a student who struggles with communicating.
The goal of instruction is to encourage students to engage in activities, talk, and use tools
that are consistent with the practices of their community. As a teacher I would do a lot of group
projects or have the student present projects in the front of the class. For the sociocultural theory
Vygotsky suggested that parents should expose their children to social situations. For students to
learn they must be presented with tasks that are just out of reach from our present abilities.
It is important for Preschool and early childhood teachers to develop a language rich
classroom to develop students language and thinking skills. This can be accomplished by
dividing the room into separate spaces like have a reading area with a rug or by having the desks
arranged a certain way. Some other things that help develop language are having the teacher or
students read aloud, encouraging students to ask questions about what is being read, asking
students to retell stories and describe events, using new words and discussing word meanings.
Engagement in the classroom is very important so students will want to learn more about the
lesson. Linking something in society or something that your students like with the lesson will
also get the children interested in the lesson.
Education is the best gift you can receive, because once you have it no one can take it
away from you. Lev Vygotsky (Zone of Proximal Development).
In conclusion the sociocultural theory will help students learn how to solve problems and
how to interact socially with other students. Recently, I had the opportunity to shadow a third
grade classroom for a day. I saw how scaffolding and the zone of proximal development

improved students learning. I now understand how important Vygotskys theory is in the
classroom.

Works Cited

Gallagher, Christina. "Psychology History." Welcome to Muskingum University.

N.p., May 1999. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.
<http://http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/vygotsky.htm>.
Grace, Elizabeth. "Vygotsky & Socio-Cultural Theory." Kids' Progress, Behaviour,
Learning and Thinking. N.p., 29 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.
<http://http://www.kidsdevelopment.co.uk/vygotskysocioculturaltheory.html>.
Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis. Essentials of Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2006. Print.
Puntambekar, Sadhana. "Scaffolding | Education.com." Education.com | An Education &
Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.
<http://http://www.education.com/reference/article/scaffolding/>.
Scott, Sarah. "Sociocultural Theory | Education.com." Education.com | An Education &
Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource.
N.p., 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.
<http://http://www.education.com/reference/article/sociocultural-theory/>.
Vygodskaya, Gita. "Gita's reflection on her father: L.S Vygotsky." Web. 15 Nov. 2012.
<http://http://webpages.charter.net/schmolze1/vygotsky/gita.html>.
"Zone of Proximal Development." Innovative Learning. N.p., 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.

<http://http://www.innovativelearning.com/educational_psychology/development/
zone-of-proximal-development.html>.