Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Vygotsky
• Russian Renaissance man
• Began studying psychology
at age 28. Died of
tuberculosis at age 38
• Under pressure to create a
theory of education in line
with Marxism
• Russian government
suppressed his ideas
• Not widely published until
after the Cold War ended
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Assumptions
• Cognitive development cannot be separated
from the culture
• Thinking is transformed through the use of
tools
• Development is studied by examining the
process of change
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Methodology
• Dynamic Assessment: What children can do
with assistance better reflects intelligence
than what a child can do alone
– The experimenter progressively provides more
clues on how to solve the task
– Goal is to assess how much support a child
requires in order to solve the task
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Psychological Tools
• Tool: Something that can be used in the
service of something else
– Technical Tools: Change and control objects
– Psychological Tools: Change thought and control
behavior
• Language system
• Number system
• Writing system
• According to Vygotsky, language is the most
important psychological tool
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Development
Social Language
Interaction
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Scaffolding
• Scaffolding: Assistance by a more skilled person that
allows students to complete tasks they cannot do
independently
• Types of Scaffolding
– Modeling
– Think-aloud
– Questions
– Adapting instructional materials
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Scaffolding
• Characteristics of a good scaffold:
– Maintains the child’s attention
– Models the best strategy
– Adapts the process to the child’s level of
development
Comparing Developmental Theories
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Contributions of Vygotsky
• Education
– Teach within each student’s zone of proximal development
– Use scaffolding to facilitate learning
– Social interaction enhances the learning process
• Psychology
– Originated the microgenetic method
– Pointed out that higher mental processes are rooted in
social processes
– Highlighted that mental processes can only be understood
by studying the tools and signs that mediate thought
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Revision
• According to Vygotsky, what are the three
elements that influence development?
• What is the zone of proximal development?
• How can teachers support learning in the zone
of proximal development?