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Vygotsky and TPI
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Running Head: VYGOTSKY AND TPI
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Personal Learning Theory:Vygotsky and TPI
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John KoetsierUniversity of British Columbia1
 
Vygotsky and TPII cannot say that I fully subscribe to any one learning theory. However, Ialign closest with Vygotsky and Social Cognition.
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Part of the challenge is that my Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI) scoresare outside the norm. While “over ninety percent of teachers hold only one ortwo perspectives,” (Pratt, forthcoming) my TPI scores are blended. Forexample, my Apprenticeship, Developmental, and Nurturance scores arealmost equivalent, at 37, 37, and 36, respectively. Transmission was 32, andSocial Reform was 24.I agree with Vygotsky and Social Cognition theorists who assert that we areimmersed in culture, and this not only supplies most of our information, ittrains us how to think. Language, whether internal or external, is essential inthe transmission of information and the formation of knowledge. And aimingslightly higher than we can reach – when appropriately aided by learningcoach – is often how we grow intellectually.Simple transmission models of learning can still be powerful forces forintellectual development, particularly for younger learners. This fits withinVygotskian/Social Cognition theories as the process of internalization.Learning by rote is outré today, but it serves well to create a foundation of knowledge upon which higher-order thinking skills can be built.2
 
Vygotsky and TPIHowever, I also have a strong individualistic side, and believe that effectivelearning is self-directed learning. If there is no desire on the part of thelearner to learn, there will be little learning. At the same time, I believe thatdesire can be nurtured. As students are led to understand that they haveworth and potential … they become motivated to invest intellectual energy.
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A final thought: social reform is something that scares me in theclassroom. I want educators to teach thinking skills primarily, not to remakethe future in their own image. I understand all teaching embodies values, butI resist the impulse to make the classroom the engine of social change.3
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