Kozulin - Vygotsky’s Educational Theory in Cultural context: Chapters 1 & 2

Education Studies 1A, 1B, 2A & other B.Ed. Modules + Life and School experiences

Doing Learning Analyses

and understanding learning conversations

Motivation and Learning

Theories of learning – Socio-cultural and Vygotskian theory

What adolescent learning is about

 Introduction: The challenges of Learning in Senior Phase and FET

Lecture aims Introduce the Vygotskian theory

A) MEDIATED LEARNING

B) PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLS

C) ZPD

D) SCAFFOLDING

E) THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE AND DEVELOPMENT

Consider the educational implications of Vygotsky’s theory.

Vygotsky

Cultural Context

Social Interactions LanguageCognitive

Development

Sociocultural theory of development: emphasizes the crucial influence that social

interactions and language, embedded within a cultural context, have on cognitive development.

MEDIATED LEARNING PERSPECTIVE

Vygotsky – mediation model :

Development of higher mental processes depends on presence of MEDIATING AGENTS in the child’s interaction with environment.

Mediating agents: HUMAN MEDIATIONTEACHER MEDIATIONPARENTAL MEDIATION

Human mediation

Each psychological function (perception, memory, attention, etc) appears 2x in development first in the form of actual interaction between people / then as an inner internalized form of the function

Wertsch & Stone study (1985) – “copy puzzle” and “model puzzle”: Transition took place – function moved from interpersonal to intrapersonal plane

Study established: a) in interactive situation – children can become involved in

more complex activities than in activities which they master themselves

b) joint activity – the specific functions become appropriated by child

Teacher mediation

Modelling, contingency management (praise/critique, feedback, cognitive structuring ( its on meta-cognitive level – strategies for organization of student’s work, etc.) (Tharp & Gallimore, 1988) )

Teacher training is NB for types of mediation and appropriate techniques for age and subject

Rogoff ‘s (1995) three aspects of mediation:

Apprenticeship – community activity that mediates socio-cultural patterns to children or adult novices

Guided participation – inter-personal aspect of joint activity

Appropriation – changes in individual because of their involvement in mediated activities

Strategies of mediation

Means of mediation – examples: strategy modelling, creation of awareness of use of strategies, adjustment of presentation to child’s level, transfer of responsibility to student

Type of mediation – examples: scaffolding in form of structuration and organization of student’s work, encouragement, approval

Technique of mediation – examples: more localized scaffolding inf orm of facilitating the “first step”, provision of hints etc.

Parental mediation

Majority of parents find proper forms of mediation for child BUT its usually only relevant to everyday life activities (Wood, 1999)

Shumow study (1997):

Parents strategic control and problem definition

Parents resorted to direct intervention by telling child what to do (as opposed to teachers who help child to make sense of problem and encouraging them to solve problem independently)

Maternal verbal guidance (MVG) (Portes study, 1991):

verbal prompts, cues, closed questions, mother and child elaboration during and after task, child’s relevant questions to problem solving

Portes’ core parental mediational techniques relevant to problem solving revolved around techniques that promote cognitive strategies that are effective in a wide range of formal learning situations -

Not every type of parent-child interaction has a mediational effect

Mediated Learning Experiece (MLE)Feuerstein’s theory of MLE

Quality of mediated learning depends on following criteria being met:Intentionality of interactionReciprocity of interactionTranscendent character of the

interaction (significance beyond here-and-now)

MLE cont.Mediation of meaning:

Children who receive more MLE through interaction with parents become better learners.

Quality of parent’s mediation influences child’s learning potential rather than direct performance level (Tzuriel, 1997)

Symbolic mediators

Some ancient symbols: casting lots, tying knots, counting fingers (Vygotsky, 1978)

Cognitive development and learning depend on :child’s mastery of symbolic mediators their appropriation their internalization in the form of inner

psychological tools

The acquisition of symbolic relationships:

requires guided experience – it should be systematically formed

Thus symbols may remain useless unless the meaning and as cognitive tools are mediated to the child

Appropriation of symbolic mediators is dependent on the goal that the teacher/parent sets for it

Special conditions for symbolic mediators to become cognitive tools

Unless a something is mediated to the child as a cognitive tool/psychological tool, it will not be appropriated/internalized

Reading, writing , maths as narrow technical skills with limited goal of decoding, memorizing, reproducing texts, performing basic calculations - will remain as separate technical skills unless mediated

Example:

Content learning – Rome is capital of Italy

Symbolic tool – Map reading skills as a tool for future application (it requires mediation)

teacher should help child identify symbolic tools

Symbolic tools derive their meaning from the cultural conventions that engendered them –

The cultural conventions infuse the symbolic tools with meaning and purpose

If purpose is poorly mediated, child will not understand the tool’s instrumental function

Example: purpose of learning a foreign language

ZPDThe zone of proximal development (ZPD) has been

defined as "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" (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).

Lev Vygotsky views interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies. He suggests that teachers use cooperative learning exercises where less competent children develop with help from more skillful peers - within the zone of proximal development.

Zone of proximal development

Vygotsky believed that when a student is in the ZPD for a particular task, providing the appropriate assistance will give the student enough of a "boost" to achieve the task.

 This would allow the child to develop skills to use on his or her own to develop higher mental functions.

Levels within the zone of proximal development

There are 2

First we have the actual development level.This is the upper limit of tasks one can perform

independently.

The second level is the level of potential development.This is the upper limit of tasks that one can

perform with the assistance of a more competent individual.

ZPD -SCAFFOLDINGThe ZPD has become synonymous in the

literature with the term scaffolding.

Wood et al. (1976, p. 90) offer the following definition of scaffolding:

'Those elements of the task that are initially beyond the learner’s capacity, thus permitting him to concentrate upon and complete only those elements that are within his range of competence'.

Scaffolding Example

First, the teacher should provide clues about how to proceed through the problem.

As the child becomes capable of solving the problem without support, the teacher gradually removes these clues.

This process is referred to as fading.

Role of Language and Psychological tools

Vygotsky: Culture cannot be separated from learning

Advocated a socio-cultural orientation: Key concept is

PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLS (symbolic artefacts: signs, symbols, texts etc) – when INTERNALIZED we make sense of our natural psychological functions (perception, memory, attention, etc) because each culture has own set of psych tools and situations in which it is appropriated (used)

Example: Literacy is not about decoding

standard text.

Comprehension reaches beyond meaning of everyday words

It involves an interpretationas through the use of various sets of psych tools.

Vygotsky’s idea of Cognitive education

Essence of cognitive education – To provide students with NEW PSYCHOLOCICAL TOOLS

 Cognitive education programs:

Basic cognitive skills for studying all curricular areas

Higher level cognitive skills for specific domains eg. maths, science, literature, etc.

The role of language in cognitive development

For Vygotsky: the role of language is critical in cognitive development

cognitive development results from an internalization of language.

thought and language are initially separate systems from the beginning of life, merging at around three years of age, producing verbal thought (inner speech).

Lower Mental functioning

Vygotsky establishes that there are two types of mental functions : the lower and the upper.

Lower mental functions: are those with which we are born, are the natural functions and are genetically determined.

Behavior derived from lower mental functions is limited; It is conditioned by what we can do/it is our response to the environment.

Higher mental functions

These functions are acquired and developed through social interaction.

The higher mental functions are determined by the way of being of that society: they are culturally mediated.

For Vygotsky, greater social interaction, more knowledge, more possibilities for action, more robust mental functions.

Typical QuestionDiscuss how mediated learning experiences can

be used to assist adolescent learners in becoming self-regulated and emancipated members of the community. Include in your discussion the role of scaffolding, ZPD, MLE, psychological tools, and the relevant aspects of sociocultural theory.