vygotskys theory

• What did Piaget and Vygotsky agree on?

  That reasoning abilities develop in a sequence and that abilities are qualitatively different at different ages
• What is the major difference between Piaget and Vygotsky?

  Vygotsky saw cognitive development as a social process.​
• What is the Social Interactionist Theory?

  Learning as a social process, acquiring knowledge from experts.
• How does Vygotsky define an 'expert'?


  A more advanced individual from whom a child acquires new knowledge.
• What are the benefits of learning from 'experts'?

  Acquiring new knowledge and advanced reasoning skills.
• How did Vygotsky view the role of language in cognitive development?

  Language plays a crucial role in intellectual development.
• How does language enable intellectual development?

  By facilitating mental reasoning and cognitive growth.
• What is the progression of language development according to Vygotsky?

  Shared dialogues, external monologues, silent inner speech.
• What is the purpose of silent inner speech?

  Used for mental reasoning and intellectual development.
• What is the role of self-talk in cognitive development?


  Self-talk helps children learn and explain things to themselves.
• What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?

  The gap between what a child can do unaided and with help.
• What is the significance of the ZPD in education?

  Explains the limit of what a child can learn based on their current stage of development.
• How do learners cross the ZPD?

  Could receive help from more experienced peers through the process of scaffolding
• What is scaffolding?


  More knowledgeable others provide a supportive framework to cross the ZPD which is gradually withdrawn
• What are the steps of scaffolding?

  Maintain interest, demonstration, control frustration, encourage independence.
• Who conducted supporting evidence for Vygotsky?

  Wood & Middleton (1975)
• What did Wood & Middleton (1975) design?


  A set of wooden blocks which could be fitted together, designed to be too difficult for most 4 year olds to manage alone.
• What did Wood & Middleton (1975) observe?

  The interactions between 4 year old children and their parents as the children tried to assemble the blocks.
• What did Wood & Middleton (1975) find?

  At first parents tended to show the child how to put the blocks together. As the child became more skilled the parent would simply give verbal instructions or prompts.
• How does Wood & Middleton (1975) support Vygotsky?

  It supports Vygotsky's concept of scaffolding, because parents are providing support for the child, it aids their development through the ZPD and they withdraw this support as they become more skilled.​
• How have Vygotsky's ideas been used in education?

  Group work and peer tutoring and individual adult assistance. Form groups that are a mixture between all the years
• How have Vygotsky's ideas raised expectations in schools?

  The idea that children can learn more and faster with appropriate scaffolding has raised expectations.
• Who stated that Vygotsky's ideas are culturally biased?

  Rogoff (1990)
• Why does Rogoff (1990) state that Vygotsky's ideas are culturally biased?


  The concept of scaffolding may not be equally useful in all cultures for all types of learning.
• Why may be more effective ways of learning in some cultures?

  Observation and practice