Philosophy

At Bright Futures Preschool, we emphasize play. Our philosophy of education is based on the

theories of Lev Vygotsky, an educational psychologist. We also follow the ideas of Burrhus

Frederic (B.F.) Skinner, a psychologist and behaviorist.

Vygotsky’s Importance of Play

Vygotsky believed that play contributes to development. Through play, children engage in

conversation. The use of conversation and inner speech leads to language development. Play also

promotes a child’s social development. Children take on different roles and interact with each

other (“Lev Vygotsky’s Cognitive Development,” n.d.). Children also strengthen their problem

solving abilities through play. Vygotsky’s beliefs have influenced the design of our classroom,

which is divided into different areas. The various areas of our classroom include the Dramatic

Play Center, Art Area, Sensory Table, Block Zone, Music and Movement Area, Technology

Center, Science Center, Literacy Lounge, and Math Corner. Since play has such a crucial role in

a child’s overall development, children are invited to visit these areas several times throughout

the day. Children have the opportunity to play for twenty-five minutes right before school

begins. They also visit the play centers during the portion of our schedule dedicated to free play.

During free play, children receive forty minutes to play in a center of their choice.

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory describes learning as a social process. In other words, social

interaction plays a role in brain development. Another part of this theory is the Zone of Proximal

Development (ZPD). This zone refers to an area of knowledge that the student is capable of, but
requires support and social interaction to fully develop (“Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory,”

2003). We follow the ideas of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory by giving children multiple

opportunities to interact. Children socialize with peers through play and during small and large

group activities. We support a child’s ZPD by modeling concepts and assisting them as they

move throughout the learning process. One way we assist children is through scaffolding. We

provide prompts and supports as they learn a new skill. Gradually, these prompts and supports

are reduced until the child independently completes the skill.

Skinner’s Operant Conditioning

B.F. Skinner developed the idea of Operant Conditioning. This concept is the act of rewarding

partial behavior or a random act that approaches a desired behavior (“B.F. Skinner,” n.d.). We

enforce this idea by providing children with rewards and praise for their progress toward a

certain behavior. For example, a teacher may ask a child to clean up his toys. When the child

only picks up one toy, the teacher provides verbal praise and reminds the students of his goal to

clean up all his toys.

 References

B.F. Skinner. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhskin.html

Lev Vygotsky's Cognitive Development Theory and the benefits of play. (n.d.). Retrieved

March 27, 2017, from http://www.childdevelopmentmedia.com/articles/play-the-work-

of-lev-vygotsky/

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory. (2003, November 27). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from

http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.phpURL_ID=26925&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&U

RL_SECTION=201.html