The Importance of Vygotsky on theories of learning in English

Aims Introduce some of Vygotsky’s key ideas Consider the ways in which Vygotsky’s ideas have influenced the development of English pedagogy and practice

Who was Vygotsky? Born 1896, died 1934 Background in literature, linguistics, psychology and philosophy Began to focus on psychology and developmental psychology in 1924 Work was published posthumously, then suppressed in his native Russia, before being ‘rediscovered’ in the West in the late 50s His work became particularly important to those at the forefront of the ‘London’ school of English in the late 60s and 70s, and consequently to the development of ‘progressive English’

Some Key Ideas Relationships between thought development and language development Development of inner speech and verbal thought Development and evolution of concepts/word meanings The Zone of Proximal Development

Relationships between thought development and language development Thought and language initially develop independently of one another There is a stage of pre-linguistic thought and pre-intellectual speech At a certain point the development of thought and speech intersects, children see that things have names, and begin to see words as a way to organise their thought – this is the beginning of rational speech and verbal thought

Development of Inner Speech and Verbal Thought All language begins with a social function Language begins to develop two purposes – a social purpose and a personal process in the organisation of thinking Increasingly, speech to organise thinking – ‘speech for oneself’ is distinguished from social speech and moves inward This form of speech becomes inner speech and ultimately verbal thought Language moves from verbal thought outwards to external speech, and vice versa

Vygotsky’s Blocks Observe the pair as they go about ‘solving’ the problem by developing new concepts What can you say about the stages that they go through in developing the concepts? In what ways is language important in the process? How is new knowledge being constructed?

Development and Evolution of Concepts/Word meanings In coming to form understandings of concepts, there are a number of potential stages, shown in the case of Vygotsky’s blocks in the following way:  Heaps - seemingly random, subjective groupings  Complexes - associative, contrast, chain  Pseudo-concepts  Genuine Concepts

In the development of concepts, the word is a means by which understanding is formed, and becomes the sign that represents the concept Concepts are introduced through interaction/language and are gradually internalised Word meanings/concepts evolve over time Developing understanding of spontaneous and non-spontaneous concepts is related

The Zone of Proximal Development The ability to solve certain problems independently would indicate a child’s developmental level When working with more able peers or adults, a child is able to solve more difficult problems, requiring a higher developmental level The gap between these two levels represents the next stage in learning and is called the ‘zone of proximal development’ In this way learning can be seen to lead and enable intellectual development

Vygotsky’s ZPD Zone of Proximal Development Current development ZPD – potential development

Classroom Implications “The implications of these ideas for pedagogy are, or course, enormous. If speech in childhood lays the foundations of a lifetime of thinking, how can we continue to prize a quiet classroom?” Vygotsky’s contribution to pedagogical theory, James Britton in Brindley, Teaching English Why were Vygotsky’s ideas so attractive to those developing notions of English? What do you think might be the implications of Vygotsky’s ideas for your own practice?

Implications of Vygotsky’s Work Importance of a language-rich environment, the role of language in thought development and learning The role of the teacher - introducing ideas, instruction, making children work in the ZPD Mixed ability groupings Spiral curriculum Importance of written language and grammar teaching

Further references Thought and Language (1962) (sometimes known as Thinking and Speech) – Chapter 4 centres on the relationship between thought and language development, Chapters 5 and 6 on the development of concepts. Chapter 7 is a good overall summary of these key ideas. Mind in Society (1978) – where the notion of the ZPD is developed