Lev Vygotsky

“The true direction of the development of thinking is not from the individual to the social, but from the social to the individual” (Vygotsky, n.d.) Within Vygotsky's sociocultural theory he believed that the two most important concepts were zone of proximal development and scaffolding. Between these two concepts the child will gain knowledge from someone with more experience and education. Using the Sociocultural theory I will explain how zone of proximal development and scaffolding shaped my…

Case Study Five (5) Outdoor Play with the Nursery children; 4 years old. From my perspective, I think that learning extends beyond classroom. I believe that outdoor play is a form of learning that actively encourages children development. The three principles that I have chosen based on the case study: • Holistic Development to development and learning • Children as Active Learners • Play as a medium for learning Holistic Development to development and learning Holistic development in…

Differentiation of children’s learning is an essential tool in an English Primary School setting (DCSF, 2008). Children learn at different rates (Brandt, 1998; Tomlinson, 2001) and thus it stands to reason that the learning that is carried out in a classroom is differentiated to suit the varying needs of the learner. Contradictory to standards-based teaching, differentiation denotes to a student-centred pedagogical approach which aims at responding flexibly to individual students’ learning…

Proximal Development (ZPD) - a concept introduced but not fully developed by Vygotsky (1978). As children grow, their skills and knowledge develop by observing someone who is more advanced than they are (i.e. an adult), hence gradually extending their ZPD (Abrams, 2018). ZPD covers all the knowledge and skills that a child cannot yet understand or perform…

In reading this article discussing the difference in Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories on the influences on or origin of child development my eyes were opened to the areas in which each were lacking. I believe the two have theories that complement each other, and fill in the wholes the other has not elaborated on, but Vygotskian focuses on the cultural aspect of development that I have always believed to be unmovable piece of the puzzle. As often referenced, culture is like a unique lens that…

According to Vygotsky, for the curriculum to be developed appropriately the teacher must plan a lot of activities not just what the children are capable of doing on their own but also activities that they can learn with the help from the teachers (Karpov & Haywood, 1998). His theory does not mean that anything can be taught to any child. Vygotsky said that only activities and instruction that fall within the zone, this will then…

In 1950, classic play theorist Johan Huzinga expressed the position of play as a cultural phenomenon. Children’s play varies from culture to culture and is one of the major factors that influence young children’s development and learning. Children learn and incorporate social norms, values and roles through play. It is essential to understand the dynamics of culture and its influence on child development especially in the contexts of family ethnic culture. Through play, children reflect and…

After viewing the Attachment in Infancy & Toddlerhood Wikipage, it made me think about my own attachment to my mother based upon my behavior as a child described to by my parents. I displayed a very explorative and joyful demeanor when I was near them. I vaguely remember being very upset at only a few years of age upon being separated from my mother. However, I remember after a few years of age, I grew more and more acceptant of her departure while knowing I would see her again soon. I believe I…

enhancing the students learning, and what I needed to do next to support the improvement of students learning. Moreover, these assessments helped me to identify the students’ capability such as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) of the students (Vygotsky, 1978). Once I knew the ZPD of the students, I changed my teaching strategies to meet their learning needs. For example, I designed a series of the interventions to scaffold the students through their ZPD to improve their learning. For…

Robert, 2006). Therefore, by allowing reading with the use of drama, learners can become fully involved in the learning process, in where learners will feel less self-conscious and more encouraged to express themselves through the multiple voices (Vygotsky, 1987; Bakhtin, 1981) of the differing characters. Whereas, for younger children role play is widely used as a way for them to express their feelings and emotions (Grigg, 2010). To help with understanding, it is more common that children will…