Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development emphasizes the significance of language and social experience. Within this theory, human cognition is viewed as a social process, and language is referred to as a basis of more sophisticated cognitive processes (Berk, 2012, p. 275). Within Vygotsky’s framework, such phenomena as private speech, intersubjectivity, scaffolding, guided participation, reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning have gained much support. Therefore, it is of extreme importance for an efficacious teacher to consider these approaches to learning while teaching youth.
First of all, private speech, according to Vygotsky, is used for self-guidance. Through the zone of proximal development (ZPD), children are able to retrieve vital information from their peers as well as adults. With time, private speech becomes private thought that is internalized within the young individual (Berk, 2012, p. 275). With reference to this concept, it is important to allow children to listen to the conversations of adults as well as their peers and elucidate their meaning in case young adults are unable to retrieve the main ideas from them. Private speech will serve as a guiding tool for future private ideas of the kids, meaning that they should be allowed to listen and retrieve the information that is important to them. As children’s speech develops, so does their thinking (Berk, 2012, p. 266). Therefore, they should not be constrained from learning to speak by observing, but rather they should be exposed to various environments with care. As a result, they will be able to turn into mature and culturally aware individuals.
What concerns scaffolding, it promotes the transmission of cognitive processes to young learners (p. 275). Scaffolding is a technique that has been introduced by scholars prior to Vygotsky (Berk & Winsler, 1995). This process encompasses five components, all of which focus on cognitive growth and improvement of performance in children. Namely, there is joint problem solving, intersubjectivity, warmth and responsiveness, promotion of self-regulation and keeping the child in ZPD (Berk & Winsler, 1995). For a teacher, the most notable of this components is intersubjectivity, which involves children with differing ideas arriving to the same conclusion about a task.
Next, the process of guided participation allows a teacher to make young learners recognize situational and cultural differences in adult support of children’s efforts (Berk, 2012, p. 275). According to the Vygotsky’s view of make-believe play, children do not act based on an impulse, but they rather comply with their internal ideas (Berk, 2012, p. 275). Based on the traditional idea of make-believe, children learn to be cognitive and social beings through following the norms (Berk, 2012, pp. 240-241). Vygotsky, as opposed to Piaget, claimed that make-believe has social and cognitive roots and is not a spontaneous phenomenon (Berk, 2012, p. 269). Therefore, for a teacher, it is important to establish social norms and make sure that children follow them consciously.
Reciprocal teaching is part of cooperative learning process, whereby many participants encourage and stimulate each other’s sharing of ideas (Berk, 2012, p. 275). With the help of an open dialogue guided by the teacher, young learners feel free to express their ideas and share impressions. In this experience, everyone is forced to participate, and thus children are able to learn from each other.
All in all, Vygotsky’s approach helps a teacher understand varying paths of children’s social and cognitive development (Berk, 2012, p. 272). A teachers plays an enormous role in this process, because he/she creates the learning environment. By following Vygotsky’s methodology for teaching, it is possible to become an effective teacher and make sure that every young student gets the best from the learning process.
References
Berk, L. E. (2012). Child development (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Berk, L. E., & Winsler, A. (1995). Scaffolding children’s learning: Vygotsky and early childhood education. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
