Cognitive Development~Vygotsky

SocioCultural Theory

The work of Lev Vygotsky (1934) has become the foundation of much research and theory in cognitive development over the past several decades, particularly of what has become known as Social Development Theory. Vygotsky's theories stress the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition as he believed strongly that community plays a central role in the process of "making meaning."

Unlike Piaget's notion that childrens' development must necessarily precede their learning, Vygotsky argued, "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function." In other words, social learning tends to come before development. Vygotsky has developed a sociocultural approach to cognitive development. He developed his theories at around the same time as Jean Piaget was starting to develop his ideas, but he died at the age of 37 and so his theories are incomplete - although some of his writings are still being translated from Russian. No single principle can account for development. Individual development cannot be understood without reference to the social and cultural context within which it is included. Higher mental processes in the individual have their origin in social processes.

More Knowledgeable Other

The more knowledgeable other (MKO) is somewhat self-explanatory; it refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or concept.

Although the implication is that the MKO is a teacher or an older adult, this is not necessarily the case. Many times, a child's peers or an adult's children may be the individuals with more knowledge or experience. For example, who is more likely to know more about the newest teenage music groups, how to win at the most recent PlayStation game, or how to correctly perform the newest dance - a child or their parents?

In fact, the MKO does not have to be a person at all. Some companies, to support employees in their learning process, are now using electronic performance support systems.  Electronic tutors have also been used in educational settings to facilitate and guide students through the learning process. The key to MKOs is that they must have more knowledge about the topic being learned than the learner does.

Zone of Proximal Development

The concept of the More Knowledgeable Other is  related to the second important principle of Vygotsky's work, the Zone of Proximal Development.

This is an important concept that relates to the difference between what a child can achieve independently and what a child can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner.

Vygotsky sees the Zone of Proximal Development as the area where the most sensitive instruction or guidance should be given - allowing the child to develop skills they will then use on their own - developing higher mental functions.

Vygotsky also views interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies.  He suggests that teachers use cooperative learning exercises where less competent children develop with help from more skillful peers - within the zone of proximal development.

Like Piaget, Vygotsky believes that young children are curious and actively involved in their own learning and the discovery and development of new understandings/schema.  However, Vygotsky placed more emphasis on social contributions to the process of development, whereas Piaget emphasized self-initiated discovery.

According to Vygotsky (1978), much important learning by the child occurs through social interaction with a skillful tutor. The tutor may model behaviors and/or provide verbal instructions for the child. Vygotsky refers to this as cooperative or collaborative dialogue. The child seeks to understand the actions or instructions provided by the tutor often the parent or teacher then internalizes the information, using it to guide or regulate their own performance.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interaction between learning and development. Readings on the development of children, 23(3), 34-41.

I have a lot of experience that I can relate to this topic. Since I have two siblings under the age of three so I have  seen this development first-hand. When I play games with my sister,who is 2, I have to explain the rules to her several times before she starts to understand. I can see her developing the older she gets older,because I do not have to repeat the instructions to games as much as I used to. 

There is so much a future teacher can learn from Vygotsky's theories. The thing I really liked is the "More Knowledgeable Other" because it sets the standard of  children are not the only ones that need to be taught. Many teachers that I have had in school acted very superior to the students and even the parents. I will never be that kind of teacher. I know that there is always something I can be taught even if it is by someone younger and less educated as me. Children can teach adults lots of things and it is crucial to a teacher-student relationship that teachers share this idea with them. Telling my students that everyone can learn something new everyday and that anyone can teach you something new everyday will help them to be more vocal in class.