Sociocultural Theory

Biography Born in 1896 in Orsha, in the Western Russian Empire Influenced by his cousin David Vygotsky, Vygotsky entered

Moscow University in 1913. Here, he studied law, being one of the few professions that allowed Jews to live outside restricted areas.

Simultaneously attended Shaniavsky University to study social sciences

Graduated from Moscow University in 1917 After graduation, he began to teach at various institutions From 1924-1934 he attended the institute of psychology in

Moscow, where he worked extensively on ideas about cognitive development, particularly the relationship of work that is still be explored today.

Biography ContinuedAfter an impressive presentation of his doctoral

dissertation on William Shakespeare's play Hamlet in 1925, entitled Psychology of Art, Vygotsky was invited to join the research staff at the Psychological Institute in Moscow, where he met Alexander Luria, who was to become his colleague and collaborator.

Together with Alexander Luria and Alexei Leontiev, they began the Vygotskian approach to psychology

Vygotsky had no formal training in psychology, but he showed a real interest in the field.

Died in Moscow of tuberculosis at the age of 37.His ideas were repudiated by the government; however,

his ideas were kept alive by his students.

Sociocultural TheoryVygotsky emphasized the influence of culture,

peers, and adults on the developing childHe believed that children will acquire ways of

thinking and behaving that make up a culture by interacting with a more knowledgeable person.

Theory suggests that social interaction leads to continuous step by step changes in a child’s thought and behaviour that can vary greatly from culture to culture.

Cultural ToolsCultural tools are items in the culture that

teach children about the expectations of the group.

Examples: books, computers, traditionsBy using these tools, the child understands

what is important in his or her cultureThese tools help the child to form their own

view of the world

Cultural ToolsThere are three ways a cultural tool can be

passed from one individual to another:1.Imitative Learning: When one person tries to

imitate or copy another.2.Instructed Learning: Involves remembering

the instructions of the teacher and then using these instructions to self regulate.

3.Collaborative Learning: A group of peers who strive to understand each other and work together to learn a specific skill

Zone of Proximal DevelopmentThis refers to the difference in a child’s

performance when he or she attempts the problem on his or her own compared to when an adult or older child provides assistance.

What children can do on their own is their level of actual development and what they can do with help is their level of potential development.

It must contain two features:1.Subjectivity2.Scaffolding

SubjectivityDescribes the process when two individuals

begin a task with different understanding and finish with a shared understanding,

ScaffoldingChange in social support over the course of a

teaching lesson.The adult adjusts his or her level of help in

response to the child’s level of performance.Example: Learning to ride a bike1.Start with training wheels2.When training wheels are off, child may ride

with parent holding on.3.Once, comfortable, the child can ride on their

own without training wheels or a parent’s help

Applications of Theory into Special EducationScaffolding is extremely important in Special

Education. Scaffolding should be used with all students, but especially those facing special needs. It is extremely important for a teacher to change his or her social support during a lesson, depending on the student. Some students catch on to things quickly and will not need as much support, while others may need a great amount of assistance. An educational assistant is always helpful so that he or she can focus on scaffolding for that student only. However, the teacher must continuously be aware of how each student is performing and be able to adjust to meet his or her needs.

Sara PorterVygotsky emphasizes the importance of social interaction

and the influence of culture, peers and adults on the child. Sarah does not have the best adult influences in her life, as she lives only with her mother who has a “relaxed” schedule and frequently lets Sarah stay up past 1 am. Mrs. Mercer comments on the importance of survival skills at school. Staying up past 1 am is not a good survival skill as Sarah will be tired, which is evident from her yawning through math. She will not pay as much attention as she should be. Mrs. Mercer does not always have the best influence on Sarah either, as she wants Sarah to do it “right” but does not take the time to show her.

Our Suggestions for Sara PorterMrs. Mercer or the principal should set up a

meeting with Sara’s mother to emphasize the importance of having structure at home. The importance of sleep should also be mentioned. Her mother should have an awareness of the important “survival skills” that Mrs. Mercer discusses so she can emphasize the skills at home as well.

In the ClassroomCurriculum: Curriculum should emphasize

interaction between learners.Instruction: Adjust scaffolding to fit each child.Assessment: Take the Zone of Proximal

Development into consideration. Two children might have the same level of actual development, but given the appropriate help from an adult, one might be able to solve many more problems than the other. Assessment methods should target both the level of actual development and the level of potential development.

Resourceshttp://www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/

vygotsky.htmhttp://social.jrank.org/pages/677/Vygotsky-Lev-1896-

1934.htmlhttp://starfsfolk.khi.is/solrunb/vygotsky.htm