Cognitive Development Vygotsky’s Approach I.Vygotsky’s theory A.Personal background B.Background of theory 1.More knowledgeable others 2.Zone of Proximal Development C.Sociocultural theory 1.Private speech 2.Social origins of cognition a)Intersubjectivity b)Scaffolding D.Research on social interaction and cognitive development E.Vygotsky and early childhood education II.Evaluation of Vygotsky’s theory

Background of Vygotsky’s theory Lev Vygotsky More knowledgeable other Anyone with better understanding of higher ability Zone of Proximal Development Distance between the child’s ability to perform a task with and without help

Sociocultural Theory Private speech Piaget’s concept of “egocentric speech” Vygotsky’s notion of self-directed speech an inner speech The social origins of cognition Intersubjectivity Scaffolding and guided participation

Vygotsky and Early Childhood Education Importance of active participation Assisted discovery Make-believe play Intersubjectivity Scaffolding and guided participation

Evaluation of Vygotsky’s Theory Challenges to Vygotsky: Limitations to verbal communication Parent’s versus child’s responsibility in acquiring skills Role of basic perceptual, motor, attention, memory, problem solving skills