Voiceover: All right, the next theory
that we're going to take a look at
is Vygotsky's Theory of Development, which
is also the Sociocultural Theory of
Development.
So building upon the importance of social
interaction, Vygotsky studies
the role that social interaction plays in
the development of cognition.
So he was really focused on the social
interaction between
children, which are obviously growing, so
he focused on children and
their growth development, the interactions
they had with those around them,
in the development of their cognition and
their higher order learning.
Now Vygotsky actually, unfortunately,
passed away at a very young age;
he was only 38, so much of his theory was
left unfinished.
But from what we do know of what he did
discover and what he did theorize,
gives us a lot of insight into this theory
of development.
So Vygotsky developed this theory and he
said that babies had
elementary mental functions, and there are
four of them.
So these elementary mental functions, I'm
gonna
just right short-hand M F for mental
function.
So he said there were four of them.
One of them is attention.
So we have attention; we have sensation,
as babies remember.
We have perception, and we also have
memory.
So these are the four elementary mental
functions that babies have.
Now eventually through interaction with
their
environment, the socio-culture
environment, these elementary
mental functions are developed into more
sophisticated and effective mental
processes or strategies.
And this is what we call our higher mental
functions.
So much of our important learning that a
child goes
through occurs through the social
interaction with a skillful tutor.
So whether it's their teacher, their
parents someone older.
So this tutor acts as a model, and they
model
their behaviors, or they provide verbal
instruction for the child.
So the child often tries to understand the
actions or
instructions provided by the tutor, often
the parent or the teacher.
And then they internalize it.
And they use to that to actually guide and
regulate their own performance.
So let's take a little trip down memory
lane, memory lane.
Think about when you were a little kid,
and
when you were given your first puzzle to
put together.
I remember when I had my first puzzle, and
I was
trying to solve it all alone; I had a
really hard time.
But I also remember my dad sitting right
next to me and
describing and demonstrating some basic
techniques
and tips and strategies to solve it.
So he first told me to put, or actually
find all the
corner and edge pieces and to separate
those from the middle pieces.
And he gave me a couple pieces to put
together and kept on encouraging me as I
went along.
So eventually, I became more competent,
and my father didn't have to sit
next to me, and he was just able to watch
me solve the puzzle.
I was able to learn I was actually able to
work more independently.
So higher mental functions are
characterized
more by independent learning and thinking.
But that can only be cultivated by the
elementary mental functions, which involve
a tutor or someone older who acts as a
guide through which we model our behavior.
So according Vygotsky, this type of social
interaction involves cooperative and
collaborative dialogue, and that's what
promotes this cognitive ability or
development.
So, in this example I was telling you
about, my
dad was an MKO, which is a more
knowledgeable other.
So this is the first key term that I want
you to know.
MKO stands for more knowledgeable other.
So this is one term that Vygotsky defined.
So the more knowledgeable other is
basically someone who has a better
understanding
or a higher ability level than the
learner, which, in this example, was me.
I was the learner.
So this MKO has a higher level of, of
understanding
and ability with respect to whatever the
task is at hand.
So in this case, my dad was an MKO cuz he
had
a better understanding of how to put the
puzzle together than I did.
So an MKO is someone else, but then we
have to add in that sociocultural factor.
So the interaction of myself, which is
right here, with the MKO, the
other person is what leads to learning,
which I'll put over here.
And it's what also leads to these higher
mental functions in independence.
Now the second key term that I want you to
know is called the zone of proximal
development, so ZPD for short, but I'll
just write it out here.
So it's called the zone of proximal
development, and basically,
I'm gonna illustrate in a second for you
what what this looks like.
But this zone of proximal development is
the part
where the most sensitive instruction or
guidance should be given.
So in my puzzle example, I was in that
zone of proximal development
because I was most sensitive to the
information my father was giving me.
I was between the ability of being able to
do something and not being able to do
something.
And then that zone of guidance that I
received is what allowed me to
transition from the set of skills I
already had to a more expanded set of
skills by learning, and going beyond what
I had already known.
So this is what develops these higher
mental functions.
So let's pretend that this is our, right
here I'm gonna draw a box.
And this box right here represents
everything that's
beyond our reach and what we can't do.
So I'm gonna do, put a big Can't Do over
here, and this little circle inside over
here represents
everything we can do currently; in our
current state, it's what we can do.
And according to Vygotsky, the zone of
proximal development is the
link between
the two, right in here, your ZPD.
And that is the zone or the area that's
most sensitive
to instructional guidance, that allows the
learner or child to develop the
skills they already have and to use it on
their own and
go beyond into the areas they can't do, to
expand that learning.
So for example, I couldn't solve the
jigsaw puzzle by myself when I was
little; it would have taken me such a long
time to do or at all.
But I was able to solve it, following the
interaction with my father.
The ZPD involves and interaction with the
MKO.
And eventually, I developed that
competence of that
skill that I can also use in the future.
So this arrow right here, just gonna show
you, is what
represents all of our learning and our
development.
Now another important part of Vygotsky's
theory was the importance of language.
So I'll put that right over here.
Number three is language.
So according to Vygotsky, he said that
language is the main means by which
adults transmit info to children, and it's
also a very powerful tool of intellectual
adaptation.
So he looked at private speech.
Now private speech is also called internal
speech.
It's when people talk out loud to
themselves.
Which happens most likely with what type
of populations?
Do adults speak out loud to themselves a
lot or do children?
Well, it's actually children.
Most children engage in private speech.
And he, Vygotsky, sees this as a way for
children
to plan activities and strategies, and
this aids in their development.
This active speaking to themselves,
talking out loud.
So he said this language is,
therefore, an accelerator for thinking and
understanding.
So children who engage in large amounts of
private speech are actually
much more socially competent than children
who do not use it that much.
So he believed that language develops
from social interactions for communication
purposes.
And later language ability becomes
internalized as thought.
So as we grow older, it becomes more
internalized, which is
called our inner speech, so basically,
thought is a result of language.
That ability to think for ourselves and
develop that independence of
executing skills comes from this
importance of language, according to
Vygotsky.
So there you have it.
These are the three main parts of his
theory.
