Vygotsky

• What does Vygotsky believe language is?

  A social process
• How is culture passed on?

  Through semiotics - signs and symbols developed in a culture
• What are children born with?

  Elementary functions such as perception and memory
• What do elementary functions turn into?

  Higher mental functions such as maths
• What the zone of proximal development?


  The gap between what a child can learn on their own and what they can learn with expert help
• What is scaffolding?


  The help given by people who are more expert to children to help them cross the zone of proximal development
• What are Vygotskys stages?

  • Vague synchretic stage
  • Complex stage
  • Potential concept stage
  • Mature concept stage
• What does Gredler say is the role of culture in cognitive development?


  Children were taught the counting system of base 29 instead of base 10 and found it hard to count. This shows culture affects cognitive developement
• What is contrasting evidence for the role of language?

  Sinclair De Zwart taught children all language needed to conserve and found that they still couldn’t do it, suggesting cognitive development must have some sort of biological maturation aspect
• Who found that children work better in groups than alone - supporting the ZPD?

  Roazzi and Bryant
• Who found that children tutored by older children in addition to standard teaching, progressed further in reading?

  Van Keer and Verhaege
• What did Blaye find about pair work?


  Working in pairs was effective for 70% of children, compared to working alone

  • But 30% who worked alone performed just as well, so individual differences must be taken into account
• What is an issue with scaffolding?


  Each class in school would have to scaffold each child, this would take a lot of time so cannot happen
• Who found learning varies between individuals?

  Howe - personality and style of information processing have an effect on learning