Socio-cultural theory teaching/learning centred

Historic Roots Vygotsky (1920s-1930s) Russian educational psychologist

Learning occurs by the Transformation of participation

Socio-cultural theory focuses on the causal relationship between social interaction and the individual's cognitive development

Social interaction leads to continuous step-by- step changes in children's thought and behavior that can vary greatly from culture to culture (Woolfolk, 1998)

Varying concepts of socio-cultural learning Europe, Japan Japanese classroom there are students and there is knowledge and the teacher serves as a mediator between them German classroom there are also knowledge and students, but teachers perceive this knowledge as their property and dispense it to students as they think best Vygotsky’s Educational Theory in Cultural Context

Student’s RoleTeacher’s Role Collaborative participant Observe learners closely Scaffold learning within the zone of proximal development match individual and collective curricula to learners’ needs Create inquiry environment

1. imitative learning, where one person tries to imitate or copy another 2. Instructed learning which involves remembering the instructions of the teacher and then using these instructions to self-regulate. 3.cultural tools are passed to others is through collaborative learning, which involves a group of peers who strive to understand each other and work together to learn a specific skill (Tomasello, et al., 1993)

The Zone of Proximal Development is the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers [Vygotsky1978]Vygotsky1978