Vygotsky model

Marissa Haroldson

The Lev Vygotsky model revolves around support, as the other models do,
but this one primarily focuses on culture, and the understanding that children have
their own potential, and a further potential when they are helped. This model states
that culture is the prime determinant of individual development. Humans are the
only species to have created culture, and every human child develops in the context
of a culture. Therefore, a childs learning development is affected in ways large and
small by the cultureincluding the culture of family environmentin which he or she
is enmeshed. This cultural involvement is not only important for individual
development, but creating an environment that nurtures the growth of knowledge
and more critical thinking. It states that through culture children acquire much of
the content of their thinking, that is, their knowledge, and the surrounding culture
provides a child with the processes or means of their thinking. Similar to the Piaget
model, in this reference a child learns through problem-solving experiences shared
with someone else, therefore curricula should be designed to emphasize interaction
between learners and learning tasks.
What this means in my classroom is that children need to not only build
themselves into their culture and the cultural way of thinking, but to use their
experiences with others to grow as well. This also means that not all lessons or
activities will perfectly suit each child, as children develop in their own contexts.
Although, staying with Vygotskys model, children can go beyond their potential if
given encouragement and help from others who know more than they do. If an
activity is frustrating a 3 year old, ask the five year old to work next to them and if
they ask for help, show them what to do next. This benefits both children.