VINOSHNI A/P S.

BHASKER NAIR
EDUP3023

1.0 Introduction

According to Vygotsky (1978), the child begins to perceive the world not only through his
eyes but also through his speech. Cognitive development is construction of thought processes,
including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through
adolescence to adulthood (Encyclopaedia of Children’s Health n.d). Thus, based on the case
study, I have discovered the presence of cognitive development which involves Lev Vygotsky
theory. Poet Nora Perry asked, “Who knows the thoughts of a child?” As much as anyone,
Vygotsky knew. Just like Piaget, Vygotsky believed that young children are curious and
actively involved in their own learning and the discovery and development of new schemes.
However, Vygotsky placed more emphasis on social contributions to the process of
development, whereas Piaget emphasised self-initiated discovery. Vygotsky has identified two
main principles such as More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and the Zone of Proximal
Development (ZPD).

2.0 Analysis of Case Study

Based on my reading, there are two different type of cases involved with different conflicts
and ways on solving it. First conflict is between Marsha and Lorna which shows that Children
in this stage are egocentric, tend to see the world and the experience from their own point of
view. For example, the conflict between Marsha and Lorna shows that Marsha feels that she
is right and she’s asking opinions from the other members without giving them a chance to
voice out. This is because she assumes that they feel the same. On the other hand, Lorna
assumed that everyone in the group thought the same that Marsha is the only one whom
writes the answers to the questions which wasn’t true. This involves the second principle of
Vygotsky’s work, the Zone of Proximal Development. This is a concept that what a child could
learn or achieve independently and what a child can achieve with guidance and
encouragement from a skilled partner. This conflict’s been solved by Josh and Ava clearly
shows that interaction is an effective way of developing skills and strategies for example, Lorna
admits it that she should have asked Marsha in a diplomatic way after discussing with the rest
of the members. This clearly shows that Lorna realised her mistakes after some guidance and
instruction on ways to solve problems. Vygotsky (1962) called these the “buds” or “flowers” of
the development, to distinguish them from “fruits” of development, which the child already can
accomplish independently.
 VINOSHNI A/P S.BHASKER NAIR
EDUP3023

Dialogue is an important tool of scaffolding in the zone of proximal development (Tappan,

1998). Based on my reading of the second conflict between Jose and Tamika which had been
solved by Mrs. Wynn is closely linked to the idea of ZPD which is the concept of scaffolding.
Scaffolding is a process of changing the level of support. In this case, a more-skilled person
(a teacher) adjusts the amount of guidance to fit the child’s current situation. Thus, Mrs. Wynn
confronted Tamika and asked her how she will feel if she’s in the same situation as Jose was
in. As a teacher, she could talk to Tamika in a polite manner to make her understand. A
dialogue might take place between a teacher and a child when the teacher uses scaffolding
to help a child understand a concept like “transportation”.

Vygotsky believed that language develops from social interactions, for communication
purposes and he viewed is as man’s greatest tool. Vygotsky (1987) differentiates three forms
of language such as social speech, private speech and silent inner speech. However, through
this case study, private speech was obvious as an example in case study 1, Tamika begin to
collaborate within herself in the same way a more knowledgeable other, teacher collaborate
with them in the guidance to learn ways on communication with a proper manner. Berk (1986)
provided empirical support for the notion of private speech. She discovered that most private
speech exhibited by children serves to guide child’s actions.

3.0 Role of Teachers

Throughout this case study, a teacher plays a vital role in student’s cognitive development.
Thus, Mrs. Wynn has done her role as a teacher through ZPO. She has accessed the child’s
ZPD and started using in as an aid of teaching. Teaching began towards zone’s upper limit so
that the child can reach the goal with help and move to a higher level of knowledge. When the
child falls, provide encouragement to bring it back on the right track. Mrs. Wynn placed
instruction in a more meaningful context in classrooms. Educators are moving away from
presentation of materials in fact they provide students with opportunities to experience learning
in real-life. For example, Mrs. Wynn explained to Tamika the needs of politeness in
communication and she put Tamika in Josh’s shoes to make her understand how he feels
towards her harsh words. She didn’t explain the issue in an educational manner instead she
 VINOSHNI A/P S.BHASKER NAIR
EDUP3023

related it with real-world implications too. On the other hand, the presence of conflict
management in classrooms implemented by Mrs. Wynn was a good start because this helps
students to understand issues faced by people and ways to overcome it in the right manner.
Children will know what’s right and wrong and also be able to differentiate manners of
communicating according to respective situations.

Effective communication and collaboration are essential to becoming a successful

learner. This focus on the collective knowledge and thinking of the group changes the roles of
students and teachers and the way they interact in the classroom. In collaborative classrooms,
teachers facilitate an authentic exchange of ideas and children learn to become caring,
principled people as well as thoughtful, disciplined learners. Firstly, as a teacher we could
monitor and encourage children’s usage of private speech. It’s better to be aware of the
developmental changes from externally talking to oneself when solving problem according to
their respective ages. Transformation of classrooms with Vygostkian ideas is an ideal method.
The Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP) is based on Vygotsky’s theory
(Tharp, 1994). Through this method, ZPD and scaffolding could be taken place to improve the
children’s literacy skills and also ways in handling problems. Based on the case study, KEEP
will be a productive method to be used in this classroom especially for students whom are
going through mental disturbance and depression, for example in Jose’s case, it could help
him to talk and share his problems to his teachers due to his parents’ divorce. Next, teachers
should identify expectations for student’s behaviour and communicate those expectations to
students periodically. Rules and procedures are the most common explicit expectations. As
an example, small number how students are to answer questions – no student answer will be
recognized unless he raises his hand and is called upon to answer by the teacher.
Independent group work such as laboratory activities or smaller group projects. General rules
that emphasize appropriate behaviour may be helpful. Good discipline is much more likely to
occur if classroom settings are structured and arranged to enhance cooperative behaviour.

4.0 Conclusion

As a conclusion, through this case study I have managed to differentiate between

Vygotsky and Piaget’s theory. From my personal point of view, Vygotsky’s view of the
importance of sociocultural influences on children’s development fits with the current belief
that it is important to evaluate the contextual factors in learning (Deater-Deckard, 2013;
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Gauvain, 2013). However, a research have been carried out and it concludes that the concept
of scaffolding- which is heavily dependent on verbal instruction- may not be equally useful in
all cultures for all types of learning. As one becomes more independent, he/she may be left to
do his/her own learning as they become experts. After all, learning is a lifelong process.

(1256 words)
 VINOSHNI A/P S.BHASKER NAIR
EDUP3023

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