Development of Cognition and Language: Vygotsky EDU 330: Educational Psychology Daniel Moos

LEV VYGOTSKY SOCIAL-HISTORICAL THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT “Any higher mental function necessarily goes through an external stage in its development because it is initially a social function.”

1. HUMAN LEARNING CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD INDEPENDENT OF THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FORCES THAT INFLUENCE INDIVIDUALS

Procedure Sort the following words into whatever categories make sense and provide a label or rationale for each category. males, females, figs, kangaroo, meat, dogs, honey, bees, the moon, cigarettes, water, sun, spear, wine, wind, fish, mud, fire, birds, rainbow

Compare Compare your categories with the following created by aborigines in Australia…

Categories Bayi: males, kangaroo, the moon, rainbow, fish, spear Balan: females, dogs, birds, fire, water, sun Balam: figs, honey, wine, cigarettes Bala: meat, bees, wind, mud myths and beliefs: rainbows are believed to be mythical men experience: water extinguishes fire; myths and beliefs: birds are believed to be female spirits; dangerous and exceptional things are put in a minimally contrasting category: dogs are considered exceptional animals, so they appear in the second class instead of with men experience: wine is made from fruit

2. CRITICAL ROLE OF LANGUAGE

Role of Language (I) According to Vygotksy, language plays 2 critical roles in cognitive development: (1) Language is the primary method adults transmit information to children (2) Languages becomes a powerful tool in learning According to Vygotsky, language divided into three forms: (1) Social (external communication to others; 2 yr) (2) “External” Private (Directed to oneself; serves as intellectual tool; 3 yr) (3) “Internal” Private (Silent private speech that assume self- regulatory actions; 7 yr)  Language assumes a more central role in development compared to Piaget’s theory

Role of Language (II) Students cannot get too much practice in their use of language. Particularly true in math and science Model “metacognition”: Think-alouds Prompt: “I know ______ because _______” Remind students that struggling to put understanding into words is a normal part of learning and development. We’ve all said at some point in our lives: “I know what I’m trying to say, I just can’t put it into words.” Provide students with scaffolding as they practice language. Provide technical terms Embellish students’ descriptions

IMPORTANCE OF ASSISTED LEARNING (scaffolding, psychological tools, and mediation) to move students through ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT

THE ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT (ZPD) “... is the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” Lev Vygotsky, 1935

POTENTIAL LEVEL ACTUAL LEVEL INSTRUCTION LEARNINGLEARNING ZPD

Moving Students through ZPD (1) Mediation: “A hallmark of human consciousness is that it is associated with the use of tools, especially “psychological tools” or “signs.” Instead of acting in a direct, unmediated way in the social and physical world, our contact with the world is indirect or mediated by signs. This means that understanding the emergence and the definition of higher mental processes must be grounded in the notion of mediation.” (Thompson, 2015) Example: How might a typical 4 year old in the US respond to a cake presented on his or her birthday? Psychological Tools: “Psychological tools are the symbolic cultural artifacts--signs, symbols, texts, formulae, and most fundamentally, language--that enable us to master psychological functions like memory, perception, and attention in ways appropriate to our cultures” (Kozulin, 2001) Example: A teacher models and think-alouds a strategy for learning (models metacognition while reading text) Scaffolding Instructional practices that move students progressively toward deeper comprehension and, ultimately, greater independence (FADING…)

Moving Students through ZPD (2) Specific examples of scaffolding: Provide students a simplified version Offer solution to a similar problem Describe multiple ways of understanding Offer models and non-models Provide a definitions Explicitly describe how the new lesson builds on prior knowledge Model the learning process (think-alouds, metacognition) What do I do if a student “isn’t getting it” (ie moving through the ZPD?) Offer a process/ solution to a similar example (prepare beforehand); model the process! Break the problem/ question down into more manageable parts Connect to background knowledge

Application of Vygotsky (1) Identify a lesson plan to evaluate (5 minutes) (2) Identify the extent to which the lesson plan is consistent with Vygotsky’s Theory: SCAFFOLDING What types of scaffolds are in the lesson plan? How would you modify the lesson plan to more effectively scaffold learning? LANGUAGE To what extent does the lesson plan use language to develop understanding? How would you modify the lesson plan to more effectively use language to develop understanding? OTHER Are there other aspects of the lesson plan that you think effectively support learning? Are there other modifications you would make to the lesson plan? Why?