VYGOTSKY S SOCIAL LEARING THEORY INTRODUCTION DEFINITION Social Development Theory also known as Sociocultural Development Theory is based on the work of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky 1896 1934 Vygotsky s work was largely unknown to the West until the 1980 s He died at the age of 38 so his theories are incomplete although some of his writings are still being translated from Russian Vygotsky s sociocultural theory about child development says that cognitive development occurs as a result of social interactions In this way learning is innately collaborative He believed social negotiation was essential for building knowledge and understanding concepts Social learning theory is the philosophy that people can learn from each other through observation imitation and modeling The concept was theorized by psychologist Albert Bandura and combined ideas behind behaviorist and cognitive learning approaches Vygotsky s sociocultural theory of human learning describes learning as a social process and the origination of human intelligence in society or culture The major theme of Vygotsky s theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition Vygotsky believed everything is learned on two levels First through interaction with others and then integrated into the individual s mental structure Every function in the child s cultural development appears twice first on the social level and later on the individual level first between people interpsychological and then inside the child intrapsychological This applies equally to voluntary attention to logical memory and to the formation of concepts All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals Vygotsky 1978 p 57 A second aspect of Vygotsky s theory is the idea that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a zone of proximal development ZPD This zone is the area of exploration for which the student is cognitively prepared but requires help and social interaction to fully develop Briner 1999 A teacher or more experienced peer is able to provide the learner with scaffolding to support the student s evolving understanding of knowledge domains or development of complex skills Collaborative learning discourse modelling and scaffolding are strategies for supporting the intellectual knowledge and skills of learners and facilitating intentional learning How it will approach in ECE Vygotsky also considered imaginative play as an activity that provides children with experience in the zone of proximal development There are two ways that imaginative play allows the child to function beyond her actual developmental level G nc and Gaskins 2010 Vygotsky s theory highlights the social aspect of play learning and development It also emphasises the importance of both adult led and child initiated play EYFS 1 8 Each area of learning must be implemented through planned purposeful play and through a mix of adult led and child initiated activity VYGOTSKY S SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 0 8years Vygotsky s social development theory asserts that a child s cognitive development and learning ability can be guided and mediated by their social interactions His theory also called Vygotsky s Sociocultural theory states that learning is a crucially social process as opposed to an independent journey of discovery He expands on this by stating that a child s learning benefitted greatly from being guided by a more knowledgeable community member such as a parent or teacher Vygotsky s sociocultural theory also suggested that children internalise and learn from the beliefs and attitudes that they witness around them He believed that culture played an important role in shaping cognitive development and therefore that this development varied across cultures Vygotsky also stressed the importance of language as the root of all learning According to Lev S Vygotsky 1896 1934 the highest levels of abstract thinking and self regulation in preschool development are established in pretend play using object substitutions An extensive research literature supports Vygotsky s empirical model of the internalization of self guiding speech social speech private speech inner speech Vygotsky also introduced an entirely new way of assessing the child s ability to learn by using the assistance of a more knowledgeable person the zone of proximal development These concepts are fundamental to Vygotsky s theory of how consciously directed mental functions develop as neurological systems A chronology is provided to clarify the out of sequence and often piecemeal publication of his writings revealing their theoretical cohesiveness and integrity Vygotsky s child development theory refers to four elementary mental functions as the innate abilities that we are born with These are Elementary Mental Functions Attention Sensation Perception Memory These abilities are then developed into higher mental functions through social interaction with our community Vygotsky also coined the term tools of intellectual adaptation which refers to problem solving strategies and ways of thinking that children internalise by observing and interacting with more knowledgeable members of society Different cultures exemplify different tools of intellectual adaptation because they are affected by the beliefs and values of the individual culture APPLICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION IN ECE Lev Vygotsky s social learning theory also known as the Sociocultural Theory emphasizes the role of social interactions and culture in shaping cognitive development Here are some key aspects of Vygotsky s theory relevant to children from 0 8 years 1 Language and Thought Vygotsky believed that language plays a central role in cognitive development Children learn to think and reason through language and social interactions 2 Zone of Proximal Development ZPD Vygotsky introduced the concept of ZPD which refers to the gap between what a child can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance Adults can facilitate learning by providing scaffolding within the ZPD 3 Scaffolding Scaffolding refers to the temporary support and guidance provided by adults to help children learn new skills and concepts 4 Social Interaction Vygotsky emphasized the importance of social interaction in learning Children learn through collaborative activities discussions and problem solving with more knowledgeable others 5 Culture and Context Vygotsky believed that