Learning Theories Essay

Lev Vygotsky, born in the U. S. S. R. in 1896, is creditworthy for the tender information theory of learn. He proposed that social interaction profoundly enamors cognitive festering. Vygotskys place point is his belief that bio drifted and ethnical maturation do not occur in isolation. Vygotsky approached ripening differently from Piaget. Piaget believed that cognitive acquirement consists of four principal(prenominal) periods of cognitive growth sensory motor, preoperational, concrete operations, and buckram operations.Piagets theory suggests that maturement has an endpoint in goal. Vygotsky, in contrast, believed that development is a process that should be analyzed, instead of a product to be obtained. Marcy P. Driscoll state (as cited in Riddle, 1999) that Vygotsky believes the development process that begins at fork over and continues until death is too complex to be specify by stops. The major theme of Vygotskys supposed frame lick is that social interaction p lays a primeval role in the development of cognition.Vygoysky states Every engage in the childs cultural development appears twice first, on the social train, and later, on the individual(a) level first ming conduct with people (interpsychological) and and so inside the child (intrapsychological) (Funderstanding, 2001). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships among individuals.A second expectation of Vygotskys theory is the idea that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain eon span that he calls the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Vygotsky believed that this life long process of development was pendant on social interaction and that social information actually leads to cognitive development (Kearsley, 1998). Vygotsky describes it as the place between the actual development level as set(p) by independent chore solution and the le vel of potential development as determined throughLearning Theories 3 problem work out under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable matess (Funderstanding, 2001). In separatewise words, a student can perform a task under adult guidance or with peer collaboration that could not be achieved alone. The regularize of Proximal Development bridges the gap between what is k instantlyn and what can be known. Vygotsky claimed that learning occurred in this zone. Therefore, Vygotsky counseled on the connections between people and the cultural consideration in which they act and interact in sh atomic number 18d experiences.harmonize to Vygotsky, humans design tools that develop from a culture, such as wrangle and writing, to negotiate their social environments. Initially, Children develop these tools to serve solely as social functions, ways to communicate needs. Vygotsky believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills (Riddle, 1999). When Piaget observed young children fighting(a) in egocentric vernacular in their preoperational stage, he believed it was a phase that disappeared once the child r from each one(prenominal)ed the stage of concrete operations.Driscoll states (as cited in Riddle, 1999) in contrast, Vygotsky viewed this egocentric speech as a transition from social speech to internalized thought. Thus, Vygotsky believed that thought and language could not constitute without each other. Vygotskys theory was an attempt to inform consciousness as the end product of socialization. For example, in the learning of language, our first vocal noises with friends or adults are for the purpose of communication, but once mastered they fetch internalized and allow inner speech.Traditionally, schools have not promoted environments in which the students play an active role in their education and in the education of their friends. Vygotskys theory, however, requires the teacher and students to play untraditional ro les as they collaborate with each other. Instead of a teacher dictating the lessons to students and later mensurate them, a teacher should collaborate with her students in order to create meaningful ways that students can describe their own evaluation. Learning then becomes a subable experience for the students and the teacher. Learning Theories 4.The physical schoolroom, based on Vygotskys theory, would provide clustered desks or tables and work space for peer instruction, collaboration, and small group instruction. same(p) the environment, the instructional design of material would be merged to promote and encourage student interaction and collaboration. Thus, the classroom becomes a community of learning. Because Vygotsky asserts that cognitive change occurs at heart the Zone of Proximal development, instruction would be knowing to reach a developmental level that is just now above the students menses developmental level.Vygotsky proclaims, learning which is oriented t oward developmental levels that have already been reached is ineffective from the view point of the childs overall development. It does not aim for a unseasoned stage of the developmental process, but rather lags crapper this process ( brotherly Development, 1996). Appropriation is necessary for cognitive development within the zone of proximal development. Individuals participating in peer collaboration or guided teacher instruction must share the same focus in order to access the zone. Samuel J.Hausfather states (as cited in Riddle, 1999), enunciate attention and shared problem solving is require to create a process of cognitive, social, and emotional interchange. Furthermore, it is essential that the abetter _or_ abettors be on different developmental levels. In addition, the partner that is on the higher level needs to be aware of his partners lower level. If this does not occur, or if one partner continually dominates, the interaction is less successful. scaffold and int erchangeable direction are effective strategies to access the zone.Scaffolding requires the teacher to provide students the opportunity to extend the current skills and knowledge. Hausfather reports (as cited in Riddle, 1999) the teacher must engage students interests, simplify tasks so they are manageable, and motivate students to pursue the instructional goal. In addition, the teacher must look for discrepancies between students efforts and the solution, control for frustration and risk, and model an idealized variant of the act. Learning Theories 5 Reciprocal inform allows for the creation of a dialogue between students and teachers.This nonpartisan communication becomes an instructional strategy by encourage students to go beyond answering and discussing questions. A force field (as cited in Riddle, 1999) demonstrated the Vygotskian approach with reciprocal direction methods in their successful program to teach breeding strategies. The teacher and students alternated tur ns leading small group discussions on reading. After modeling four reading strategies, students began to jade the teaching role. Results of this study showed significant gains over other instructional strategies.Cognitively Guided Instruction is another(prenominal) strategy to implement Vygotskys theory. This strategy involves the teacher and students exploring math problems and then sharing their different problem solving strategies in an open dialogue (Riddle, 1999). Vygotskys social development theory challenges traditional teaching methods. Historically, schools have been organized around recitation teaching. According to Hausfather, (as cited in Riddle, 1999) the teacher disseminates knowledge to be memorized by the students, who in turn, recite the information back to the teacher.However, the studies described above offer empirical inference that learning, based on the social development theory, facilitates cognitive development over other instructional strategies (Riddle, 1 999). give lessons structure does not reflect the rapid changes that beau monde is experiencing. Opportunities for social interaction have vastly increase with the introduction and integration of computer technology. Therefore, the social context for learning is transforming as well.Learning relationships can now be formed from distances through cyberspace, whereas collaboration and peer instruction was once only possible in shared physical space (Bacalarski, 1994). Computer technology is a cultural tool that students can use to mediate and internalize their learning. According to Kathryn Crawford (as cited in Riddle, 1999) recent research suggest changing the Learning Theories 6 learning contexts with technology is a powerful learning activity. If schools continue to resist structural change, students provide not be as prepared as they should be for the world.Lev Vygotsky lived during the Russian Revolution, a time of great change in his culture. His theory was that biologica l and cognitive development does not happen apart from each other. These two developments sustain and grow from each other. This is when learning takes place. Because of this theory, his environment of change was a great influence in his own cognitive processes. Learning Theories 7 References Bacalarski, M. C. , (1994). Vygotskys Developmental Theories and the Adulthood of Computer negociate Communication a Comparison and an Illumination.Retrieved November 7, 2003 from http//psych. hanover. edu/vygotsky/bacalar. html. Funderstanding, (2001). Vygotsky and Social Cognition. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from http//www. funderstanding. com/vygotsky. cfm. Kearsley, G. , (1998). Social Development (Vygotsky). Retrieved November 9, 2003 from http//members. aol. com/daidpeal/vygotsky. html. Riddle, E. M. , (1999). Lev Vygotskys Social Development Theory. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from www. kihd. gmu. edu/ entrance/knowledgebase/theorists/constructivism/vygotsky.