Lesson 10: Early Cognitive Development: Mind, Culture, and Language


Attention

How important is the social interaction that is taking place in this picture to the learning of math?


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Identify the four components of Vygotsky's approach to learning and cognitive development
  • Reflect on how social interaction plays a role in education across the lifespan

Teaching

Vygotsky

Vygotsky emphasized that cognitive development occured in a social context and that the social context had a profound impact on that development.

  • Intersubjectivity---the mutual shared understanding among participants in an activity
  • Guided Participation---cognitive growth when children are involved in structured activities with others who are more skilled than they are
  • Zone of Proximal Development---the difference between what someone can do with assistance and what he does alone
  • Private Speech---children (and adults) engage in self talk when others are not around. This assists in learning.

The Zone of Proximal Development is of great importance to teachers. It is the goal of teachers to present material in this "zone". Correctly done the material is not TOO COMPLEX that the child can't understand it, nor is it TOO EASY so that the child gets bored. Considering the diversity of the early childhood classroom...many students at different developmental levels despite similar ages...the is a difficult task!

Wikipedia on Lev Vygotsky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Vygotsky


Assessment

Possible Class Discussion

Consider the social context of this online course. To what degree to you think your social connections and interactions with your classmates and/or teacher, are important to your learning. Is this the same thing that Vygotsky was referring to?