Vygotsky's theory of social development argues that community and language play
a central part in learning. While Jean Piaget concluded that children's
cognitive development happens in stages, Vygotsky rejected his ideas and believed
that children develop independently of specific stages as the result of social
interactions. Vygotsky claimed that we are born with
four elementary mental functions: attention, sensation, perception and
memory. It is our social and cultural environment that allows us to use these
elementary skills to develop and finally gain higher mental functions. This
development ideally happens in the zone of proximal
development. First, there is what we can do on our own. Then there is the zone of
proximal development, which represents what we can do with the help of an adult,
a friend, technology, or what Vygotsky called the "more knowledgeable other".
Last, there is what's beyond our reach. To illustrate this let us think of twins
who were raised in a community in which boys are expected to learn and succeed
while girls are only expected to be pretty. At the age of 10 months both have
the ability to crawl and are in the zone of proximal development for learning how
to stand on their feet. The more knowledgeable other, in this case the
father, provides the boy with opportunities to practice in a playroom
that he is equipped with scaffolding and other objects. The boy is encouraged to
explore the equipment and eventually he uses it to pull himself up. A few hours
later he's cruising along the structures and a few days later he's standing on
his feet. The girl also has the potential to stand but does not receive any
support in learning the skill. When we compare the two we see that
while the girl is still trying to get up, the boy has moved into a new zone. He
knows how to balance while standing and now has the potential to learn how to
walk. Both will eventually learn how to walk
but according to Vygotsky the boy will be more skilled. The same principles
apply to all learning and the development of higher cognitive
functions and only those learning with the assistance of a capable mentor can
reach the full potential of their ability. Vygotsky, therefore, believed that
inside the Zone Of Proximal Development learning can precede development, which
means, that a child is able to learn skills that go beyond their natural
maturity. He also established an explicit connection between speech and mental
concepts, arguing that inner speech develops from external speech via a
gradual process of internalization. This means that thought itself develops as a
result of conversation. Therefore younger children who don't
finish this process can only think out loud. Once the process is complete inner
speech and spoken language become independent.
Lev Vygotsky died of tuberculosis in 1934 at the age of 37. Despite his young
age he became one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th
century. He left the following advice for educators: by giving students practice in
talking with others we give them frames for thinking on their own. What do you
think? Can a child learn anything regardless of any developmental
prerequisites? And do we learn only through social and cultural contexts? And
if so, do you think it is appropriate for a more knowledgeable other to determine
what a child should learn next? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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