I composed this essay on April 12th, 2010. This paper was written for educators who teach all age levels to inform them of the different techniques addressed by Vygotsky in his theories, especially the scaffolding technique. I will definitely use the scaffolding technique in my future teaching because I believe students appreciate their teachers more and have a greater sense of achievement when this technique is used. I believe this will help me in the future because by recognizing how important it is for teachers to support and encourage their students, I can assist more effectively when they are learning new and challenging ideas.
My Life
The theory I chose to summarize is the work of Lev Vygotsky and his ideas about cognitive development, as well as the major forces that shape thinking and learning. I chose this theorist because I can relate much of his work to my own personal life. I find the information useful when it comes to my future individual teaching style.
Vygotsky’s work includes three major themes. The first major theme includes how one’s culture affects their cognitive development. He states that the parents, as well as schools shape the students’ thought processes to reflect their particular culture and its values. Even when the individuals are alone, how they think and act is a result of cultural values and practices. He uses the term “psychological tools” to describe the procedures and cognitive devices with which we communicate and explore our surrounding world. A few examples of these tools include speech, writing, gestures, and numbers. These both change and aid our mental functioning (Snowman et al., 2009).
A second major theme is how social interaction affects cognitive development. Vygotsky believed that social interaction was the primary cause of cognitive development. He believed that children gained significantly from those that are more intellectually advanced, such as peers, older children, or adults. In order for these social interactions to advance a child’s cognitive development, they have to contain a process called mediation. Mediation occurs when a more knowledgeable person interprets the behavior of a child and helps to transform it into a symbolic gesture or representation that means the same thing (Snowman et al., 2009).
The third major theme is how instruction affects cognitive development. He draws a distinction between the types of information pre-school aged children learn and children who attend school learn. The first type, spontaneous concepts, is where children learn various facts and concepts and rules. The second type, called scientific concepts, are the psychological tools that allow us to manipulate our environment consciously and systematically. The only way children can use these tools properly is if instruction in the classroom is appropriately designed. This is where the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is involved. Vygotsky referred to this as “the difference between what a child can do on his own and what can be accomplished with some assistance (50).” When the teacher assists students in answering difficult questions by giving hints or asking leading questions, it is a technique called scaffolding. This is used to help students acquire knowledge and skills they would not have learned on their own (Snowman et al., 2009).
This theory relates to my life in various ways. In regards to the first major theme, how culture affects development, I began to understand the differences in culture when I moved off to college. I moved from a small town, under 6,000 people, to the middle of Houston. The values that were prevalent in my hometown were not appreciated in the big city. For example, in a smaller town, it would be considered the norm to act friendly towards everyone, yet in Houston, the attitude is much different. People are not quite as friendly, especially at night. Being friendly towards strangers is handled with caution, since the crime rate is higher in larger cities. This was just one example of a transition that altered and molded my way of thinking.
In regards to the second major theme, about social interaction, I found myself connecting and learning more from adults, such as my parents. Before my sister was born, I was the only child, so it was only natural for me to interact with just adults. Even to this day, I try to surround myself with friends and colleagues who are more advanced at a particular subject than I am.
In regards to the third major theme, instruction, the experiences I have had are mainly negative. For example, my voice teacher my freshman year of college had a negative impact on me with her teaching. I came to college a beginner in the voice department, yet she would teach me as if I were a graduate student. She would teach me concepts and ideas that were way over my head. It was not as though I did not like a challenge; it was the fact that I never received any confirmation from her whatsoever. She would teach me something and never tell me if I was performing it correctly. Any feedback I did receive from her was mostly negative and not constructive. The whole experience was detrimental for me. Recently, I have only experienced one professor who has challenged me in my Zone of Proximal Development. This professor teaches classes that require building or creating different things. She was my costume construction professor, and she is currently my stage makeup professor. These topics involve activities I could not have done on my own, but with her assistance, I performed very well in these classes.
Vygotsky’s theory has helped me understand development by realizing how important my roles, not only as a teacher, but as a more intellectual individual impacts students’ growth while they are in school maturing and developing into adults. As a teacher, my students will be looking up to me, and it is my responsibility to foster and support their learning. I believe that I can become a better teacher just by recognizing how important it is for educators to support and encourage their students while they are learning new and challenging ideas. My biggest philosophy of education has always been that educators need to have at least three ways of teaching the same topic, but after studying Vygotsky and his theories, I have come to the conclusion that it is more important for the students to gain a sense of accomplishment than to just learn the material itself. When using the scaffolding technique, I believe students appreciate their teachers more because they have a greater sense of achievement. Being a part of the overall success of my students is one of the sole reasons I have chosen to become a teacher.
References
Snowman J. and Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching, 12th ed. New York:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 47-49
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