1. Get in the Zone Assigned Learning Theorist: Lev Vygotsky Theory: Theory of Social Development (1896-1934) By: Maricela Gonzalez EDTC-8371-01_Thrs/Prct Effct Online Dr. J. Corbeil

2. Introduction Lev Vygotsky’s was a developmental psychologist, whose contributions to education are still very much alive in today’s classrooms. He believed that learning happens because humans interact with the environment. Vygotsky social development theory focuses on how social interaction takes place before development. (http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html) In addition, Vygotsky believed that humans learn outside of their comfort level (not too complex). Our best learning occurs when we are in that Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/omcadre6/BookProject/vygotsky.htm

3. ZPD Learning is a social activity that is guided by teachers, or adults that are more knowledgeable of a certain concept. The process of learning and problem solving can be segmented into 3 categories: Independent by the child, activities that can’t be done with help, and those skills that can be done within the Zone of Proximal Development. As Vygotsky (1987) puts it, ” What the child is able to do in collaboration today he will be able to do independently tomorrow.” http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1657-07902011000100010

4. Brief Description of the Learning Theorist (Lev Vygotsky) https://communic8tion.wordpress.com/ Lev Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist. Vygotsky came up with the theory of social development. He was born in Belarus in November 1896, and died in June 1934 He had two children.

5. Over View of Learning Theorist- Lev Vygotsky Vygotsky lived in Russia and during the Russian revolution. His published work became known in the early 1960’s. His theory is one foundations of constructivism., which underlie three major themes: Social interaction, the more knowledge MKO- of which is anyone that has a better understanding or ability than the learner themselves., and the Zone of Proximal Development.- the distance between a student’s ability to perform a task under adult guidance or with peer collaboration, and the student’s ability to solve the problems independently. Vygotsky believed that learning happened in this zone.

6. Over View of Lev Vygotsky’s Learning Theory

7. Description of Lev Vygotsky’s Learning Theory Sociocultural theory focuses not only how adults and peers influence individual learning, but also on how cultural beliefs and attitudes impact how instruction and learning take place. According to Vygotsky, children are born with basic biological constraints on their minds. Each culture, however, provides what he referred to as 'tools of intellectual adaptation.' These tools allow children to use their basic mental abilities in a way that is adaptive to the culture in which they live. While one culture might emphasize memorization strategies like note- taking, other cultures might utilize tools like reminders or memorization, for example. Observations "Vygotsky claimed that human cognition, even when carried out in isolation, is inherently sociocultural because it is affected by the beliefs, values, and tools of intellectual adaptation passed to individuals by their culture. And because these values and intellectual tools may vary dramatically from culture to culture, Vygotsky believed that neither the course nore the content of intellectual growth was as "universal" as Piaget had assumed." (Shaffer, 2009)

8. http://cohenovate.com/tag/lev-vygotsky/

9. Explanation of How Lev Vygotsky’s Learning Theory Supports Online Teaching & Learning Online learning- Vygotsky’s theory can directly tie into online learning in the following way:  when computers are used for learning the social dynamics of learning can be engaged. People are very social online and so it can also transcend to the classroom experience and help build knowledge and understanding. Group work can further assist with online learning, as students are forced to work together to learn concepts. http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/omcadre6/BookProject/vygotsky.htm

10. Continued… When technology is utilized to help students learn, it can better assist in group learning rather than students learning on their own. “For instance, other things added to the cognitive popularity such as ‘the rise of computer technology open the doors to a design minus that matched well with teaching and educational psychology (Dempsey Riser pg 53).” https://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/08/23/students-e-learning-likes/

11. Strengths & Weaknesses of the Theory Strengths: Focuses on using hands-on experiences which allows students to actively participate in the learning process Provides teachers with a general idea of the capacity at which their students are able to learn and what is necessary to maximize their learn Because this theory does promote hands-on activities and stresses the importance of the learning environment, different types of learners will be able to explore information on their own and make connections to information they previously learned. This allows each individual student to learn the information in a way that is more meaningful and understandable. Weaknesses: Many critics believe that all children are different and that they do not necessary learn at the same pace and consistency that his theory suggests. Therefore, many people feel that the ages assigned to each stage are inaccurate and cannot always be applied in the sense that Piaget intended. Many critics also think that younger children sometimes have understanding of certain concepts and mental processes but they do not process the motors and language skills to display this knowledge. Thus, some of the timing of Piaget’s theory can sometimes be inaccurate due to a child’s ability to understand something faster than they can demonstrate that understanding. Overall, developmental theory lacks the appropriate flexibility to account for students with different learning abilities since the stages have specific ages assigned (http://social.jrank.org/pages/145/Cognitive-Development.html

12. Analysis of the Future of the Learning Theory (based on current research literature) “Vygotsky identified the essence of cognitive development as the mastery of auxiliary stimuli to accomplish a cognitive operation that is not achievable through natural processes (Gredler, pg. 5).” Humans start off with the ‘absence of self-regulation,’ to eventual ‘self-regulation’ of themselves. Vygotsky’s research on ‘memory and attention’ would be the avenue that brought out the four stages of cognitive development to further his theory’s implications. Furthermore, Vygotsky believed that humans have “an internally connected special system subjected in its evolution to a single law derived from the central leading function, the function of forming concepts (Gredler, pg. 8).” We come to self- regulate through this extensive web of processes, by eventually being able to harbor relationships between concepts. In order to “develop mastery of one’s own thinking (Gredler, pg. 5),” people must go through each of these formative stages of cognition. This includes the two pre-mastery stages, external regulation of one’s own thinking, and internal regulation of which occurs in adolescence. Vygotsky conducted auxiliary stimuli experiments in which he monitored memory, attention and concept formation to “externalize the participant’s cognitive behavior.” He theorized that “each new stage is a transformation of the prior level of development, and are simply benchmarks of cognitive development (Gredler, pg. 6).” For example, “in early childhood perception is the dominant function of consciousness.” Then when a child reaches the school age, memory is more dominant in how they tend to perceive things. Therefore, it was deduced that children that go to school develop different mental processes than those that don’t, as development is both socially and culturally developed. Therefore, my analysis of the future of the Theory of Social Development is that as online learning creates more online social interaction in learning students will learn at a higher and more effective rate.

13. References: Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Gredler, M.E. (2009). Hiding in Plain Sight: The Stages of Mastery/Self-Regulation in Vygotsky’s Cultural- Historical Theory. Educational Psychologist, 44 (1), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/00461520802616259 Shaffer, D. R. (2009). Social and Personality Development. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/omcadre6/BookProject/vygotsky.htm http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1657-07902011000100010 https://communic8tion.wordpress.com/ https://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/08/23/students-e-learning-likes http://cohenovate.com/tag/lev-vygotsky/