Presentation on Social Constructivism-- Lev Vygotsky

1. LEV VYGOTSKY
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
Ghadeer Abedladi & Natalie Dunn
ED 611 – Theories of Teaching and Learning – Sp 2014

2. Agenda

3. Biography
 Born 1896 in Orsha,
Belrus
 Admitted to Moscow State
University through “Jewish
Lottery”
 Studied law, medicine,
history, philosophy, and
graduated in 1917.
 Begin his career as a
researcher at
Psychological Institute in
Moscow in 1924
completing his dissertation
in 1925.

4. Biography
 From 1925 to 1934, he
wrote 6 books on
psychology .
 Tragically he died of
tuberculosis at the age of
37.

5. Lev Vygotsky Major Works
 The Psychology of Art, 1925
 Consciousness as a problem in the Psychology of
Behavior, 1925
 Educational Psychology, 1926
 Historical meaning of the crisis in Psychology, 1927
 The Socialist altercation of Man, 1930
 Primitive Man and his Behavior, c. 1930
 Mind and Society, 1930

6. Influenced by
 Jean Piaget
 Karl Marx & Russian Revolution
 Ivan Pavlov

7. Russian Revolution & Marxism
Influences
Political Views of Marx and Lenin
stressed society over the individual
Emphasis of learning in social settings
Shared ownership and responsibilities
from both the learner and teacher.
As a result, it was forbidden to discuss,
reprint, or distribute any of Vygotsky’s
writings.

8. Vygotsky’s Influences
Evald Ilyenkov (Marxist Theorist)
Alexander Luria (founder of the
Vygotsky Circle)
Vygotsky Circle

9. Vygotsky Circle
A group of psychologists, education
researchers, medical specialists,
and neuroscientists.
This group contributed to intergrating
science of mind, brain, and behavior
in their cultural development.
Heavily influenced through cultural
changes in Russia and Germany.

10. View of Knowledge
• Children will construct their own
knowledge.
• Language plays a central role in
mental development.

11. Vygotsky’s Quotes on Child’s
Play
“In play, a child is always above his
average age, above his daily behavior, in
play, its as though he were a head taller
than himself.”

12. Vygotsky’s Quotes on
Language
“ The child begins to perceive the world
not only through his [or her] eyes but
also through his [or her] speech.”

13. Vygotsky’s Body of Work
o Has a relatively short career
focused on three subject areas:
o Child Development
o Developmental Psychology
o Educational Philosophy

14. Vygotsky’s Quotes on Learning
“ What a child can do in co-operation
today he can do alone tomorrow.”

15. View of Learner
15
 Vygotsky`s beliefs in social learning are the coat-
tails that a great deal of his theories ride upon.
 Vygostky`s investigations have shown that thought
and speech,”are, on the contrary, delicate,
changeable relations between processes, which
arise during the development of verbal thought.”
 Thus, our thinking and speaking are not static.
Instead, they are active interactions that constantly
change and develop, when coupled with socio-
cultural-historical encounters.

16. Role of the Teacher
 Works as a guide or coach when assisting the
student.
 Creates small and large group activities or
learning projects.
 Does not provide the correct answers
 The teacher helps and supports learner as
they struggle with tasks.

17. How does Learning Occurs?
 Suggested that learning takes place through
the interactions students have with their peers,
teachers, and other experts.
 Learning emerges from social interaction not
from independent study.
 The use of play assists in learning.

18. What does Vygotsky’s Theory
look like?
18

19. Educational Philosophy Key
Terms
 Scaffolding
 Zone of Proximal Development
 Guided Participation
 More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)

20. Scaffolding
 Is a method of changing the level of support in
which assistance is adjusted to fit a child’s
current abilities and needs.

21. Guided Participation
 Is a method of explaining complex learning
material.
 Assistance can be physical or mental from
either teachers, other adults, or peers.

22. More Knowledgeable Other
 Is generally known as MKOs.
 can be an adult or a peer helping the learner
through scaffolding or “climb” through their
learning.

23. Zone of Proximal Development
 is the
difference
between what
a learner can
do without
help and what
he or she can
do with help.

24. Appropriate Teaching Methods
Show and Tell
Tap Into Prior Knowledge
Give them time to Talk
Pre-teach Vocabulary
Pause, Ask Questions, Pause, Review
Try Something New

25. Criticisms of Vygotsky’s Theory
 Overly optimistic
 Informal research
methods
 Impractical practices

26. Now Let’s Putting it together

27. Debrief # 1
Why was Vygotsky considered an
enemy of the Soviet Union?
Why is Vygotsky considered a Social
Constructivist?
 How are you motivated to learn in a
Vygotsky classroom?

28. 28
Lesson Plan

29. 29
Week 3
Let’s
Just
Cook

30. Parfaits, Parfaits, Parfaits
30

31. The Basic Parfait Recipe
Yogurt – Plain, Greek, or Probotics (2 cups)
Fruit: Blueberries, Strawberries (1 cup)
Crunch: Granola , Cereals, Croutons (2
teaspoons)
Container: Wine glasses, plasticware

32. Debrief # 2
32
 Do you think we apply Vygostky`s
theory in the lesson? How?
 Which technique was effective
during the lesson?

33. Bibliography
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978) Mind in Society: The development of higher psychological
processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Vygotsky, L.S. (1962) Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press (Original
work published in 1934)
Neff, Linda S. "Lev Vygotsky and Social Learning Theories." Educational Technology
547 Learning Theories Website. Linda S. Neff, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
Hannum, Wallace. "Lev Vygotsky's Theory."
Www.theoryfundamentals.com/vygotsky.htm. Wallace Hannum,
n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934). (2013, September 17). Retrieved April 15, 2014,
from http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodtherapy.org%2Ffamous-psychologists%2Flev-
vygotsky.html
Moll, Luis C. (2013). L.S. Vygotsky and Education. Retrieved from http://
www.eblib.com
McLeod, S. (2007). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved April 14, 2014, from
http%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplypsychology.org%2Fvygotsky.html
McLeod, S. (2010). Zone of Proximal Development. Retrieved April 14, 2014, from
http%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplypsychology.org%2FZone-of-Proximal-Development.html