Ahh, thats a terrible gap between post one and post two. Sometimes I get so busy and strung out doing everything in life that I neglect to do things that I remind myself of constantly, like posting here. No matter, I'm going to have to make sure and keep up now, hopefully Prof. Nellis can find it in his heart to forgive my lack of organization in posting!
But anyways, there are a few class topics I have to talk about, and for today I would like to talk about Vygotsky. The main idea associated with Vygotsky's theories is that of social learning, in which the social factors surrounding a student and the learning environment are a key factors. His idea of a proximal zone of development is very evident in a real-life situation, as I've noticed in the Grade 6 classroom I often work with. Sometimes a student will raise their hand for help on a question, and state that they have "No idea how to solve it Mr. Wanner!" Of course, as soon as I crouch down and start the question for them or prompt them toward a group of correct answers, their brain which "Had no idea" suddenly starts to have a lot of ideas, and they start to jump into the question, solving it before I have to finish. This is a fantastic example of scaffolding, another of Vygotsky's ideas, in that the teacher can provide a framework or nudge in the correct direction from which the student can use to reach the answer, like scaffolding along a building,
This is even more evicent in the tutorial classroom I often work with, as these kids are not by any means not intelligent, or "stupid" as the label is sometimes given, but merely need help with motivation, or a push in the right direction. I have noted that by using the proximal zone of development theory, what these kids can accomplish with a little help from me or Mr. S is actually on par or above students not in the tutorial room, they just need that scaffolding and assistance in order to help them do so on their own.
Another merit to Vygotsky's theories is the simple idea that learning is a social activity. I find that groupwork and brainstorming with other students with unique perspectives often facilitates a great deal of benifet for all students. It is as if the students create scaffolding for eachother and then show the proximal zone of development theory in practice, except with peers rather than a teacher figure. This just goes to show how important social skills and social interaction are to the learning process, and are one variable often overlooked in schools which can cause students' needs to be neglected or not properly adressed, when all they need is a little good old Vygotsky social learning theories to be put into practice for them to succeed!
That would be the end of my Vygotsky rant, I'll be posting soon about then next class topic!
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