Lev Vygotsky's Socio Cultural Theory | Free LET Reviewer and Drill

Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles LET REVIEWER

Lesson 20: Lev Vygotsky's  Socio Cultural Theory

Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory explains that social interaction is very important in how people develop their thinking and learning. He believed that both social interaction and culture shape the way individuals grow in their ability to understand and solve problems. Language also plays a big role because it allows learners to gain knowledge from others and share ideas. At the same time, language has a personal use since it helps people think and guide themselves. One example of this is private speech, which is a kind of self-talk children use to direct their actions and thinking as they learn and explore.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the gap between what a child can do by themselves and what they can do with some help from an adult or a more experienced peer, and it is that "in-between" space where learning really happens because the child is being challenged but still gets guidance and support until they can eventually do it alone.

For example, if a child cannot tie their shoes alone but can do it when someone guides them step by step, then tying shoes is in their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), over time, with practice and encouragement, the child learns how to tie shoes on their own, turning what was once too hard into something they now can handle without help. 

A More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) is anyone who knows more or has more skill than the learner and can offer guidance or support to help them learn something new or difficult; this could be a parent, teacher, older sibling, or even a classmate who understands the task better, and their role is to give help until the learner can do the activity by themselves.

Scaffolding means giving a child the right kind of help to do something they can't yet do alone, with the support carefully adjusted to meet their needs, so as the child learns and becomes more confident, the support is gradually reduced until the child can do the task on their own; for example, a teacher might break a big task into small steps, provide hints, or give a demonstration, and then step back a little at a time as the child takes over.

Within the MKO scaffolds, the process moves in four levels:

1. I do, you watch.
2. I do, you help.
3. You do, I help.
4. You do, I watch.

Difference between Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory and Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory

Vygotsky	Piaget
More social in focus	More individual in focus
Did not propose stages but emphasized on cultural factors in cognitive development	Believed that there are universal stages of cognitive development
Stressed the role of language in the cognitive development	Did not give much emphasis on language

Socio Cultural Theory Quiz: click here

“If you truly understand, comment your reflection in at least 3-5 sentences or more about this lesson.”
With God’s grace, you’ll surely pass the upcoming board exam! 🙏

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