Development of Cognition and Language: Vygotsky - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Development of Cognition and Language: Vygotsky

EDU 330: Educational Psychology

Daniel

Moos, PhDSlide2

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.

”Slide3

Assumption 1

HUMAN

LEARNING

CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD INDEPENDENT OF THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FORCES THAT INFLUENCE INDIVIDUALSSlide4

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, rainbowSlide5

Compare

Compare your categories with the following created by aborigines in Australia…Slide6

Categories

Bayi:

males, kangaroo, the moon, rainbow, fish, spear

Balan:

females, dogs, birds, fire, water, sunBalam: figs, honey, wine, cigarettesBala: 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 fruitSlide7

Assumption 2

LANGUAGE

plays a central role in development & learningSlide8

Role of Language (I)

Language plays two roles in development and

learnig

:Language is the primary method adults transmit information to childrenLanguages becomes a powerful tool in learningLanguage divided into three forms:Social (external communication to others; 2

yr)“External” Private (Directed to oneself; serves as intellectual tool; 3 yr)“Internal” Private (Silent private speech that assume self-regulatory actions; 7 yr) Language assumes a more central role in development compared to Piaget’s theorySlide9

Role of Language (II)

Students cannot get too much practice in their use of language.

Particularly true in

math and scienceModel “metacognition”: Think-aloudsPrompt: “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 termsEmbellish students’ descriptionsSlide10

Assumption 3

ASSISTED

LEARNING (scaffolding, psychological tools, and mediation) moves students through

ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENTSlide11

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

, 1935Slide12

POTENTIAL LEVEL

ACTUAL LEVEL

INSTRUCTION

LEARNING

ZPDSlide13

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)ScaffoldingInstructional practices that move students progressively toward deeper comprehension and, ultimately, greater independence (FADING…)

Direct Instruction

Modeling

Guided

Practice

Independent Practice

Teacher

I

Do

I Do

I Help

I Watch

Student

You WatchYou HelpYou do You DoSlide14

Moving Students through ZPD (2)

Specific examples of scaffolding:

Provide students

a simplified version Offer solution to a similar problemDescribe multiple ways of understandingOffer models and non-models Provide a definitionsExplicitly describe how the new lesson builds on prior knowledgeModel 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 partsConnect to background knowledgeSlide15

Application of

Vygotsky

Identify a lesson plan to evaluate (5 minutes)

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?