vygotsky const web

7/26/2019 Vygotsky Const Web

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What separates humans from animals?

What separates advanced societies from primitivesocieties?

What separates advanced cognition from basic

cognition? That is, what makes us smart?


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Vygotsky awakes our eyes

to the powerful role ofculture and community inlearning. His theory

presents the radical ideathat our very thought andintelligence is really not our

own. Its the product ofhistory and culture.


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Mediated Activity

(Help us do mental work--

So I call them mental tools)(Help us do physical work)

Signs Tools


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Vygotskys Basic Concepts

Cultures createmental toolswhichtransform our mental work just likephysical tools transform our physical

work.


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As weinternalizethese tools we becomesmarter (i.e., we develophigherpsychological processes).

Language is the mother of all mental tools.Piagetsvs.Vygotskys

views on the relationship between thought and language

.


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We internalize these tools as we work in ourZone of Proximal Development(ZPD).

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 adultguidance or in collaboration with more capable

others (Vygotsky, Mind in Society, p. !".


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#$%

Tasks I cannot do

even with help

Tasks I can doonlywith help

Tasks I can do all

by myself


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Use abstractlanguage

Use language

Babble

#$%

#$%

What mental tool has

been internalized?


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Learning (internalization of tools) occurs mostnaturally and efficiently when we participate in

authentic, social activities.


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Vygotsky in a Nutshell

The mental tools of our culture are what make ussmart. We acquire these mental tools best throughmeaningful participation in authentic, social activities.The ZPD describes how we learn from others as weparticipate in social activity.

Overall, learning is a process ofenculturation.

Human learning presupposes a specificsocial nature and a process by which childrengrow into the intellectual life of those aroundthem (Vygotsky, Mind in Society, p. 88)


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&earning as a process of

'nculturation Think about a group or clique you were a part

of in high school.

What were some of the defining qualities of thisgroup? What look did you need to have?

!ow did you need to talk?

What unique values did the group have?

What activities did you engage in?

!ow did you learn to be a part of this group andadopt these qualities?


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(ndividual and Social

)onstructivism Individual: individuals construct meaning out

of what they already know and through theirinteractions with the environment.

Social:"roups or cultures construct meaningtogether out of what the group or culturealready knows and e#periences.

$ygotsky%s e#tension& 'ndividuals constructmeaning through their interaction with others (i.e.,they internali)e the meaning constructed by thegroup or culture as they become enculturated*.


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(nstructional Models *ased on

Vygotsky and Social )onstructivism Cognitive Apprenticeship model

+odeling

caffolding and -ading /roviding support so that students can complete some

task they couldn%t do alone. Then gradually removing the

support as students gain competence. 'n other words,

help student progress through their 0/1.

2uthentic 2ctivity 3eal world

4omple#

+eaningful

ocial


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Vygotsky and Social )onstructivism Examples of the Cognitive

Apprenticeship model:

3eciprocal Teaching

'mmersion approach in foreign language

instruction.

cience apprenticeships


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How would the teacher education

program be different if it were basedon an apprenticeship model (i.e., ifthe whole thing was like an extendedstudent teaching assignment)?What would be theadvantaesdisadvantaes?


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Vygotsky and Social )onstructivismCommunity of Learners

Joint problem solving

Student directed inquiry

Dialogue

Everyone not learning the same things

Note: This is a collaborative form ofproblem-based learning. Hence, it fits with

both individual and social constructivism.


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Vygotsky and Social )onstructivismExamples of the Community ofLearners model:

Our motivation project.

Deborah Balls constructivist mathinstruction.


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%iversity

What are some of the educational

implications of $ygotsky%s belief that our

thought and intelligence comes fromour society and culture (through the

internali)ation of culturally constructed

mental tools*?


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Some implications

+ust take the sociocultural conte#t into account& 4ultural norms, attitudes, beliefs

4ultural knowledge bases

4ultural forms of language use

/ower and politics

+ust be aware of cultural mismatch (mental tools ofhome culture don%t match up with mental toolsrequired in school*.

5#ample& types of questions used at home vs. school(6rice7!eath*.

5#ample& use of talk7story in 8ative !awaiian culture.


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[Back toVygotskysbasic concepts.]

8ote&

-ormal thought is internali)ed language9

language comes from society9 hence themind is a product of society.


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%iscussion +uestions from the

,ringe :arl +ar# said that religion is the opium

of the masses. +ore recently,

+innesota governor and e#7pro wrestler;esse $entura said that religion is for

the weak minded. Would $ygotsky

agree? What about /iaget?

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