1. HOW CHILDREN LEARN THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST LEV VYGOTSKY

2. HOW CHILDREN LEARN How do children learn? Theorists and Theories. Who has the answers? Culture, History, Language. Reality, Knowledge, Understanding.

3. THE THEORISTS Who? Lev Vygotsky When? (1896 – 1934) Where? Belarus, Russia What? Social Constructivism Why? Learning in a Social Context (history, culture, play, interaction, collaboration) How? Zone of Proximal Development

4. VYGOTSKY’S SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM Children learn through play. Learning is social interaction. Culture has major influence on understanding. Development is a collaborative process. Zone of Proximal Development.

5. VYGOTSKY’S SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM Adapted from flash graphic by Augustin,N and Huang,W (2002)

6. SOCIAL INTERACTION

7. Vygotsky suggested that a child’s mind grows through interaction with other minds. “Wild Boy of Aveyron.” Language and thought. Shared experiences.

8. SOCIAL COLLABORATION

9. Teamwork Classroom set-up More competent person. Confirms and informs. Individual abilities develop.

10. ENTERING THE ZPD DURING PLAY Children through play enter into their ZPD. Skills used in play are; Problem solving Sharing Interacting Negotiating Sharing knowledge and understanding Kay (2002, p.25). Higher levels seen in play are unlike other areas of learning. Vygotsky stated “In play a child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behaviour ; in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself” p.102

11. IMAGINARY PLAY Imaginary Play Risk free no right or wrong answer Enters the ZPD through play In play children interact and negotiate Reflections of real-life situations in Role-play Self- regulation resisting the desires to act on impulse Symbolism; Everyday objects Have meaning Literacy and numeric skills improve within play

12. TALKING DURING PLAY Vygotsky believed that language was key to cognitive development as children talk to each other as they play In early years the child commentates on their actions during play, this Vygotsky recognised as private speech. As the child matures these messages become ‘internalized’ and later develop into thoughts. Piaget disagreed and said this language was just ‘egocentric’ Smidt (2002, p.14).

13. THE INFLUENCE OF PLAY Vygotsky (1978) stated: “learning awakens a variety of internal developmental processes that are able to operate only when the child is interacting with people in his enviroment and in co-operation with his peers” p.90

14. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT The Cultural development of a child develops through the following stages: Primitive and Psychological Behaviour “Natural arithmetical endowment of the child” i.e. his operation of quantities before he knows how to count”. Naïve Psychology “The use of the simplest tools by children presupposes a certain naïve physical experience of the simplest physical properties of one’s own body and these objects and tools with which the child is familiar”. External Cultural methods “If his psychological experience is rich enough, he will figure out how the trick works and learns to make proper use of the picture” Internal Cultural Methods “After a series of repetitions the pictures becomes no longer necessary”

15. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT Knowledge of external methods of counting i.e. Imitates adults and repeats ‘one, two, three’ The child learns to Count on his fingers The child learns to Count in his mind And the fingers are no longer needed Child’s knowledge of quantities before he can count

16. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

17. ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT - ZPD Sewell (1990) describes the ZPD as “a point at which a child has partly mastered a skill but can act more effectively with the assistance of a more Skilled adult or peer”.

18. Vygotsky (1978) stated, “Learning which is oriented towards development levels that have already been reached is ineffective from the view point of the child’s overall development. It does not aim for a new stage of developmental process but rather lags behind the process”.

19. EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES Scaffolding requires the teacher to: provide the opportunities to extend their current skills and knowledge engage interest simplify tasks so they are manageable motivate children to pursue the instructional goal

20. EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES The teacher must: Look for discrepancies between children’s efforts and the solution. Control frustration and risk. Show them an ideal version of what is required. Design tasks which match and give help to the individual child such as word and eminder list.

21. EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES Reciprocal teaching requires the teacher to: Encourage creative dialogue between themselves, the children and their peers. Explore problems and problem solving strategies together and supply the correct equipment needed to problem solve.

22. ASSESSMENTS The ZPD must also be taken into account when assessing the children. What they can do on their own is their “actual level of development”. What they can do with help is their “level of potential development”.

23. THE EMPHASIS OF ZPD Vygotsky (1978) states, “Children can do alone tomorrow what they can do with assistance today” p.87.

24. CONCLUSION