Significance of Developmental and Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Learning in Selecting Strategies and

Methodologies

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATONS OF SOCIO-CULTURAL AND OTHER CONTEXTUAL THEORIES

Ormrod (2015) listed down some educational implication of Vygotsky’s theory and
other contextual perspective:

a. Learners can think more effectively when they are acquire the basic cognitive tools of various activity
and academic disciplines. In science or mathematics, children are basically taught the meaning of key
concept, basic symbols and principles that will help the children interpret, organize and successfully deal
with the social and physical world.

b. Children learn and remember more when they talk about experiences. Children almost always talk
about their experiences as soon as they began to speak. The significant adult should join the process.
Talking about their experience helps children interpret their experiences in culturally approve and
appropriate ways.

c. Children should have opportunities to engage in activities that closely resemble those that they will
later encounter in the adult world. This activities are called authentic activities, and teacher encourage
to make use of the authentic activities and instructional materials.

d. Children often acquire better strategies when the collaborate or work with adults on complex task.
Working with adults enable them to learn developmental advanced strategies.

e. Challenging tasks, especially when sufficiently scaffold tend to hasten cognitive development. This
means that the teacher should provide as many support and aids opportunities that children can
perform successfully should be made available to them.

f. Technology-based software and applications can effectively scaffold many challenging task, and
occasionally offer good alternatives to real-world activities and problems.

g. Children’s ability should be assessed under a variety of works conditions. Assessment gives the
teacher a good understanding developmental levels of children; and know under what conditions they
are most likely to accomplished or not to accomplish tasks. By knowing this, appropriate interventions
to address gaps in the students abilities can be properly done.

h. Group learning activities can help children internalize cognitive strategies. Group learning activities
like group study sessions, class discussion, debates about controversial issues, collaborative problem-
solving help the learners develop and acquire more sophisticated strategies, than what they would have
learned in early interaction

PEER INTERACTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

 There is now a growing recognition of the value of having students work together for
them to construct their own meaning about the subject matter. In so doing, they can explore, explain,
discuss and debate certain topics either in small or big groups.

a. They can clarify and organize their ideas and justify their ideas.

b. They tend to elaborate on what they learned.

c. They are exposed to other’s views, widening their knowledge and perspectives.

d. They may discover flaws or inconsistencies in their thinking and do self-correction.

e. They can gain more complex and sophisticated thinking and reasoning skills.

f. They can also practice their argumentation skills-skills which experts use to advance knowledge.

g. They can acquire a more sophisticated view of the nature of knowledge and learning.

Important features of peer-interactive strategies lies on developing oral skills,

convergent and divergent thinking skills, organizational skills, and argumentation skills.

1. CLASS DISCUSSION

Class discussion could be used in a variety of courses and disciplines. The members usually
engage in discussions where sometimes there may not really be a correct answer as in interpreting
classic works in literature. More importantly, the students may take interest in or make sense of what
they are reading. Following are guidelines to promote effective discussion:

A.Class discussion should focus on the topics that lend themselves to multiple perspectives,
explanations, or approaches.

B.Make sure that students have prior knowledge about the topic for discussion.

C.See to it that classroom has an atmosphere conducive to open debate and constructive evaluation of
ideas.

D.Class discussion should be structured in some way.

At the end of the discussion, some closure should be provided.

2. RECIPROCAL TEACHING
 This involves teachers and students taking turns to lead the discussion and asking
questions. For the first minutes, the teacher leads the discussion, and asks questions in the process.
After sometimes, the teacher turns over her roles to a student, who will then take over to lead the
discussion and asks the questions that the teacher has modeled. Eventually, the students are on their
own, able to drive meanings out of the discussion

3.COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Students work together in small group to achieve a common goal. However, cooperative
learning is not just about grouping. For cooperative learning to be successful, some structure must be in
place such that cooperation is not just helpful, but is necessary for academic success.

Following are the features of cooperative learning.(Ormrod, 2015 and Woolfolk, 2013)

Students work in small teacher-assigned groups

Groups have one or more common goals toward which to achieve

A.Students have clear guidance on how to behave

B.Listening to others politely and attentively

C.Making sure everyone has equal chance to participate, eventually everyone understand the material

•Asking clear and precise questions when one doesn’t understand

•Giving encouragement to others and offering assistance when needed

•Offering feedback that is specific, kind and constructive

•Addressing differences of opinion, amicably, and constructively

d. Group members must depend on one another for their success

e. A structure is provided to encourage productive learning behaviors

f. Students are rewarded for group success

h. At the completion of an activity, each group evaluates its effectiveness