LED VYGOTSKY BIOGRAPHY

Born on 5th of November 189 In Tsarist Russia The small town in Belorussia called Orscha

Live
He grew up in Gomel, about 400 miles west of Moscow He was the second oldest of eight childre

L.S Vygotsky

His parents were well educated His father was a respected bank manager his mother who had trained as a teacher was a full-time homemaker Vygotsky's parents were fluent in a number of foreign languages

Parents

He studied in Moscow State University and graduated in 1917

Vygotsky wished to train as a teacher but this was not an option for Jews in Russia, before the revolution
Vygotsky graduated from Moscow University with a law degree in 1917

Government sponsored schools did not accept Jewish teachers.

Lev Vygotsky Education

Vygotsky simultaneously enrolled in a Jewish public university, to study philosophy and history When he decided medicine was not for him, he transferred to Law Vygotsky therefore enrolled in medicine as this profession allowed Jews to practise outside 'the pale' of Jewish settlements

SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Vygotsky believed childrens thinking is affected by their knowledge of the social community (which is learnt from either technical or psychological cultural tools)

He also suggested that language is the most important tool for gaining this social knowledge; the child can be taught this from other people via language

He defined intelligence as the capacity to learn from instruction, which emphasises the fact there is a requirement for a more knowledgable other person or teacher

He referred to them as just that: the More Knowledgable Other (MKO). MKOs can be parents, adults, teachers, coaches, experts/professionals

something known as the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which is a key feature of his theory. There are two levels of attainment for the ZPD

Level 1 the present level of development. This describes what the child is capable of doing without any help from others. Level 2 the potential level of development. This means what the child could potentially be capable of with help from other people or teachers.

The gap between level 1 and 2 (the present and potential development) is what Vygotsky described as this zone of proximal development. He believed that through help from other, more knowledgable people, the child can potentially gain knowledge already held by them.

to gain an understanding of Vygotsky's theories on cognitive development, one must understand two of the main principles of Vygotsky's work: the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OTHER

Vygotsky defined intelligence as the capacity to learn from instruction, which emphasises the fact there is a requirement for a more knowledgable other person or teacher

He referred to them as just that: the More Knowledgable Other (MKO)

The more knowledgeable other (MKO) is somewhat self-explanatory

MKOs can be parents, adults, teachers, coaches, experts/professionals

It refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or concept.

Many times, things you might not first expect, such as children, friends and computers may be the individuals with more knowledge or experience

Electronic tutors have also been used in educational settings to facilitate and guide students through the learning process

In fact, the need not be a person at all.

ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT

More Knowledgeable Other is integrally related to the second important principle of Vygotsky's work, the Zone of Proximal Development

Zone of Proximal Development as the area where the most sensitive instruction or guidance should be given allowing the child to develop skills they will then use on their own - developing higher mental functions

Interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies

There are two levels of attainment for the ZPD

Level 1 the present level of development. This describes what the child is capable of doing without any help from others. Level 2 the potential level of development. This means what the child could potentially be capable of with help from other people or teachers.

Through help from other, more knowledgable people, the child can potentially gain knowledge already held by them, BUT the knowledge must be appropriate for the childs level of comprehension

Anything that is too complicated for the child to learn that isnt in their ZPD cannot be learnt at all until there is a shift in the ZPD..

When a child does attain their potential, this shift occurs and the child can continue learning more complex, higher level material

When an adult provides support for a child, they will adjust the amount of help they give depending on their progress
It draws parallels from real scaffolding for buildings; it is used as a support for construction of new material (the skill/information to be learnt) and then removed once the building is complete (the skill/information has been learnt)

For example, a child learning to walk might at first have both their hands held and pulled upwards

SCAFFOLDING

Then she might just hold one hand, then eventually nothing. This progression of different levels of help is scaffolding

As they learn to support their own weight, the mother might hold both their hands loosely

VYGOTSKY AND LANGUAGE

Language plays 2 critical roles in cognitive development

Vygotsky believed that children who engaged in large amounts of private speech are more socially competent than children who do not use it extensively.

Language develops from social interactions, for communication purposes.

1) It is the main means by which adults transmit info to children. 2: Language itself becomes a very powerful tool of intellectual adaptation.

Language is therefore an accelerator to thinking/understanding

Later language ability becomes internalized as thought and inner speech.

Private speech, also called internal speech, refers to occasions when people talk aloud to themselves.

Vygotsky sees "private speech" as a means for children to plan activities and strategies and therefore aid their development

Most private speech exhibited by children serves to describe or guide the child's actions.