Vygotskys theory of cognitive development

• What are the 2 types of learning according to Vygotsky and describe each of them.

  intermental - between more and less expert individuals

  intramental - in the mind of the less expert
• Why did Vygotsky say there will be cultural differences in cognitive development?

  the child acquires the reasoning abilities of those they have contact with
• What is the zone of proximal development?


  the gap between a child's current level of development and what they can potentially understand after interaction with 'experts'.
• Give an example of something Vygotsky believed could only be acquired by interaction with experts.

  higher mental processes e.g. reasoning
• Define Scaffolding.


  the process of helping a learner cross the ZPD
• What are the 5 aspects of scaffolding?

  1) recruitment

  2) reduction of degrees of freedom

  3) direction maintenance

  4) marking critical features

  5) demonstration
• Who noted that level of help declines as knowledge increases?

  Wood et al
• Who provided research support for the ZPD and what did they do?


  Roazzi and Bryant - asked 4-5 year olds to estimate the number of sweets in a box either alone or with the help of an older child. The older children gave prompts and most of this group mastered the task.
• How many children were used in Conner and Cross's study?

  45
• What did Conner and Cross find as age increased?


  mothers gave less direct intervention and more hints as well as only helping when needed rather than constantly. The level of help declined.
• How can Vygotsky's theory be applied to education?


  increases expectations of what children can achieve

  more group work/peer tutoring/individual adult assistance
• Who found that peer tutoring was effective in education?

  Keer and Verhaeghe
• How does Howe et als study contradict Vygotsky's theory?

  she found difference in what children learn but Vygotsky would expect all children learning together to learn similar things
• Give 2 similarities between Piaget and Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development.


  . abilities develop in a particular sequence so qualitatively different at different ages

  . children are curious and want to learn

  . learning processes are largely the same in all children

  . place emphasis on both nature and nurture
• Give 2 differences between Piaget and Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development.


  P = driven by child'd tendency to adapt

  V = driven by social interaction

  
  

  P = same universally

  V = varies culture to culture

  
  

  P = learn thru active self-discovery

  V = learn thru instruction and guidance

  
  

  P = children only learn when ready

  V = can be accelerated

  
  

  P = language equally important

  V = language more important
• social processes matter

  • vygotsky agreed with piaget that children develop reasoning skills sequentially but believed mainly developed through social processes, claimed knowledge is;first intermental (between someone more expert & someone less expert)then intramental (within individual)
• cultural differences in cognitive abilities

  reasoning abilities acquired via contact with those around us & as a result there'll be cultural differences in cognitive development as we all grow up & learn about world surrounded by cultural values & beliefs. Children pick up the mental 'tools' that are most important for life in the world they live in
• zone of proximal development (ZPD)


  Gap between current capabilities (what child knows/can do alone) + potential capabilities (what child is capable of following interaction with someone more expert). Vygotsky claimed the role of a teacher was to guide the child through this gap to as full a level of understanding as the child's developmental ability would allow.
• advanced reasoning ability


  > cognitive development not just about acquiring more facts but about becoming more skilled at reasoning> most advanced (formal) reasoning can only be achieved with help of experts, not simply with exploration
• scaffolding


  Process of helping a learner cross the ZPD & advance as much as they can (given their stage of development) through prompting & support, withdrawn as learner crosses ZPD - increasing knowledge & confidence
• Experts use scaffolding to help learner cross ZPD


  Wood et al (1976) suggest a number of features of scaffolding including:

  >Recruitment - engaging learners interest

  >Reduction in degrees of freedom - focusing learner and getting started

  >Direction maintenance - motivating learner to perservere
• progressive scaffolding strategies

  •  recruitment: engaging in child's interest in taskreduction of degrees of freedom: focusing child on task & where to start with itdirection maintenance: encouraging child to help them stay motivated & continuemarking critical features: highlight most important part of taskdemonstration: showing child how to do aspects of task
• Progressive scaffolding 


  Wood et al also identified progressive strategies that can be used to scaffold learning. For example, prompts might be:

  • demonstration e.g. mother draws an object with crayons
  • preparation for child e.g. mother helps child hold crayon
  • indication of materials e.g. mother points to crayons
  • specific verbal instruction e.g. mother says 'How about using the green crayon?'
  • general prompt e.g. mother says, 'Now draw something else'
• strength - ZPD support

  Roazzi and Bryant (1998)- estimation of sweets in a jar task where children (4-5yrs) were working alone and with an older child.Children working alone did not get a good estimate compared to those paired with an expert. Shows children can develop additional reasoning abilities when working with an expert. Therefore supports the validity of the ZPD as a developmental concept.
• Support for scaffolding


  Conner and Cross (2003)- observed 45 children at intervals between the ages of 16 and 54 months, finding that mothers used less direct intervention as children developed. This shows how the level of help given by an expert partner declines over time as suggested by the process of scaffolding. This supports Vygotskys claim that scaffolding is a good process by which children move through their ZPD.
• Real-world application:


  Education- children can learn more and faster with appropriate scaffolding has raised expectations of what they can achieve. Keer and Verhaeghe (2005)- 7yo children with reading tutoring from 10yo children in addition to their whole-class teaching progressed further in reading then children that had standard class teaching (control group). This evidence suggests that Vygotsky was correct in assuming that more able people, even if they are peers, can enhance development and learning. Supports both validity and usefulness of theory
• A limitation is that not all children respond identically to learning opportunities

  Howe et al (1992) found 9-12-year-olds who had group discussions about the movement of objects down a slope showed a better understanding after the discussion but did not all pick up the same facts. So even when children experience the same interaction or experience they do not necessarily have the same level or nature of cognitive development. Vygotsky's theory can be criticised for not fully explaining the differential rate of development of different children whereas Piaget's concept of maturation can.