1. Week 4
EDS 220
Vygotsky’s Social Perspective
on Cognitive Development
Dr. Evrim Baran

2. Assignment for this week
• For each stage, bring an example on how you
would teach a child a topic in your field (e.g.
an example of teaching numbers at
preoperational stage, teaching algebra at
concrete operational stage)

3. Assignment
Concept Example
Conservation
Adaptation
Assimilation
Equilibrium
Accommodation
Formal operation
Pre-operation
Sensorimotor
Concrete operation

4. REVIEW

6. AN EVALUATION OF PIAGET’S
THEORY
– Does cognitive development really occur in
stages?
– Does Piaget “explain” cognitive development?
– more of an description
– Little attention to social/cultural influences

7. The impacts of social interaction on
cognitive development

8. Cultural Historical
Theory of Cognitive
Development
Role of culture on the
development of higher
mental functions (e.g.
Speech, reasoning)

9. Socio cultural
perspective
Children’s knowledge, ideas,
attitudes, and values develop
through interactions with
others.

10. Lev Vygotsky
• Born in 1896 in the Soviet
Union
• Educated as a lawyer and
philologist (to study
written records and
determining authenticity
and meaning)
• Began career as
psychologist in 1917
• His works were finally
available to U.S. in 1958

11. DEVELOPMENT LEADS LEARNING LEADS
LEARNING!!! COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
PIAGET VYGOTSKY

12. Child is a scientist,
Cognitive development
construct an
depends much more on
understanding of the
the people in child’s
world largely alone.
world.
PIAGET VYGOTSKY

13. • Mental development is a social process rather than
a biological one.
• Although natural structure has a role in cognitive
development, social process has more influence on
it.
• The main source of cognitive development is
interaction with others.
• Cognitive development levels of children will be
different in diverse cultures because the process of
interaction with others may vary in different cultures.

14. 3. Complex mental
2. Thought and processes begin as
social activities. 4. Children can perform
language become
more challenging tasks
increasingly
when assisted by more
independent in the first
advanced and
few years of life.
competent individuals.
1. Adults convey to
children the way their
culture interprets and
responds to the world. 5. Challenging tasks
promote maximum
cognitive development.
6. Play allows children
to strech themselves
cognitively.

15. Chinese and English
number words from 1
to 20. The more
systematic Chinese
numbering system
follows a base-ten
logic (i.e., 11
translating as “ten
one” [“shi yee”])
requiring less rote
memorization, which
may explain why
Chinese-speaking
children learn to count
to 20 earlier than
English-speaking
children.

16. Speech begins as a means of
communication and socializing and
later becomes a tool of thinking.
1. Preintellectual speech
2. Autonomous speech
3. Naive psychology
4. Communicative and
egocentric speech
http://education-
portal.com/academy/lesson/lev-vygotskys-
theory-of-cognitive-development.html

17. WHAT IS PRIVATE SPEECH?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuDeh_raBxM

18. WHAT IS PRIVATE SPEECH?
Why is it important?
• This is not a sign of cognitive immaturity.
• These mutterings have important role in
cognitive maturity.
• Communicating with oneself to guide
behavior and thinking.
• Peaks around the ages of 5-7 and
generally disappears by 9 years old.

19. WHAT IS PRIVATE SPEECH?
• Transition from audible private speech to
silent inner speech is a fundamental
process in cognitive development.
• Using language to accomplish important
cognitive activities such as directing
attention, solving problems, planning,
forming concepts, and gaining seld-
control.

20. WHAT IS PRIVATE SPEECH?
«Let’s see, the first step is…» or «as soon as I
get home I am going to…» or «If I work to
the end of this page, then I can»
«Okay, what is it I have to do?....I have to go
slowly and carefully. Ok, I draw the line
down, down, good, then to the right, that’s
it, now…»

21. Zone of Proximal Development

22. Zone of Proximal Development
Range of tasks a child can perform
with the help and guidance of
others, but cannot yet perform
independently.

23. Zone of Proximal Development
WHAT I CAN’T
DO
WHAT I CAN DO
WITH HELP
WHAT I CAN
DO

24. ZONE OF PROXİMAL DEVELOPMENT
Skills too difficult for a child to
master on his/her own, but can
be done with guidance and
encouragement from a
knowledgeable person.
What is What is
known not known
LEARNING

26. Zone of Proximal Development: Area where the most
sensitive information or guidance should occur.
1. ACTUAL 2. LEVEL OF
DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL
DEVELOPMENT
Upper limit of tasks a
Upper limit of tasks
child can perform with
a child can perform
the assistance of a more
individually
competent individual.

27. Scaffold: An external structure that provides support for the workers
(e.g. a place where they can stand) until the building is strong enough
to support them.
As the building gains more stability, the scaffold becomes less
necessary and so is gradually removed.

28. Scaffolding
• Support mechanism that helps a learner
perform a task within his or her own ZPD.
• An adult guiding a child through a new task
may provide an initial scaffold to support the
child’s early efforts.
• As a child becomes capable of working
without much support, the adult gradually
removes it.

29. Solve this equation!!!
Help me to use some
concepts developed by
Vygotsky!!!

30. Solve this equation!!!
e.g. giving clues

31. The ZPD should be assessed by the
instructors on a regular basis.
• First solve the problem and observe whether
the child can imitate demonstration.
• Begin to solve the problem and ask the
children to complete the solution.
• Ask the child to cooperate with another more
developed child in solving the problem.

32. Zone of Proximal Development
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu-rr2PRNkE

33. ZONE OF PROXİMAL DEVELOPMENT
APPLICATIONS
• Work with students to develop a plan for accomplishing a new task
• Demonstrate proper performance of the task in a way that students
can easily imitate.
• Divide complex tasks into several smaller tasks.
• Provide a structure or set of guidelines for how the task should be
accomplished.
• Provide a calculateor or computer software or other technology
that makes some aspects of the task easier.
• Ask questions that get students’ thinking in appropriate ways about
the task.
• Keep students’ attention focused on the relevant aspects of the task
• Keep students motivated to complete the task.
• Remind students what their goal is in performing the task
• Give frequent feedback about how students are progressing.

35. Basic Question
How are the cultural
How do humans create
tools of knowledge
knowledge in all
transmitted in a specific
cultures?
culture?
VYGOTSKY
PIAGET

36. Egocentric and Private Speech
Private speech plays an important role
Indicates cognitive maturity in cognitive development (through
because young children cannot moving children toward self
see the world through the eyes regulation, planning, monitoring and
of others and engage in guiding problem solving). Increases at
reciprocal communication younger ages and than gradually
(declines with age) decreases and becomes internal
speech.
VYGOTSKY
PIAGET

37. Role of Language
Aids in developing symbolic
Plays an important role in cognitive
thought. It does not qualitatively
development. Child’s conversations
raise the level of intellectual
and interactions with adults and more
functioning because the level of
able peers qualitatively raise the level
intellectual functioning is raised
of intellectual functioning.
by action.
VYGOTSKY
PIAGET

38. Social Interaction
Provides a way to test and
Social interaction provides an
validate schemes, encourages
opportunity for acquiring language
development by creating
and the cultural exchange of ideas.
cognitive disequilibrium.
VYGOTSKY
PIAGET

39. View of Learners
Learners should be active in Learners should be active in social
manipulating objects and ideas. contexts and interactions.
VYGOTSKY
PIAGET

40. Instructional applications
Formal instruction cannot
accelerate cognitive
Effective instruction can further
development.
development.
Experiences that create
Scaffolding must be provided.
cognitive disequilibrium should
be designed.
VYGOTSKY
PIAGET

41. Activity
• Form groups of 5.
• Talk about unique things that you can teach
each other (e.g. a yoga pose, how to count 1-
10 in French, an aikido move)
• Reflect on the teaching and learning
experience, ZPD and scaffolding strategies
• What was the experience like?

42. Assignment
• Locate a topic in your field
• How would you teach that topic to a child at
certain age (specify) using ZPD and
scaffolding.
• Bring an example to the class