Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky

was a Russian psychologist who made a great contribution in the fields of child development and
cognitive psychology. He was born in Western Russia (present day Belarus) in 1896, same year as
another famous psychologist, Jean Piaget. He is often known as the “Mozart of Psychology” because,
just like the famous composer, Vygotsky came up with several different theories in a short span of time,
demonstrating his ingenuity. However, his life was cut short by tuberculosis and he died at the age of 37
leaving many of his theories incomplete. Vygotsky graduated with a degree in law in 1917 from Moscow
State University. There he studied a range of subjects including psychology, sociology and philosophy.
Vygotsky formally started his career in psychology when he became a research fellow at the
Psychological Institute in Moscow.

- In early 20th century, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky developed a

theory of cognitive development in children widely known as Lev
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development.

The work of Lev Vygotsky (1934) has become the foundation of much research and
theory in cognitive development over the past several decades, particularly of what has
become known as sociocultural theory.

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory views human development as a socially mediated

process in which children acquire their cultural values, beliefs, and problem-solving
strategies through collaborative dialogues with more knowledgeable members of
society. Vygotsky's theory is comprised of concepts such as culture-specific tools,
private speech, and the Zone of Proximal Development.

Vygotsky's theories stress the fundamental role of social interaction in the development
of cognition (Vygotsky, 1978), as he believed strongly that community plays a central
role in the process of "making meaning."

Unlike Piaget's notion that childrens' development must necessarily precede their
learning, Vygotsky argued, "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process
of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function" (1978, p.
90).  In other words, social learning tends to precede (i.e., come before) development
 - There are three fundamental concepts that define sociocultural
theory: (1) social interaction plays an important role in learning, (2)
language is an essential tool in the learning process, and (3)
learning occurs within the Zone of Proximal Development. Each
idea will be discussed in more detail together with related concepts
and implications to learning and education.

The notion of social origins of learning, the interrelationship of language

and thought, and the notion of ZPD are Vygotsky’s most important
contributions. However, it is the practical applications of sociocultural
theory that create learner-centered instructional environments where
learning by discovery, inquiry, active problem solving, and critical
thinking are fostered through collaboration with experts and peers in
communities of learners and encourage self-directed lifelong learning
habits. Presenting authentic and cognitively challenging tasks within a
context of collaborative activities, scaffolding learner’s efforts by
providing a structure and support to accomplish complex tasks, and
providing opportunities for authentic and dynamic assessment are all
important aspects of this approach. Sociocultural principles can be
applied in effective and meaningful ways to design instruction across the
curriculum, for learners of different ages and variety of skills, and it can
be effectively integrated using a wide range of technologies and learning
environments. The challenge remains for educators and instructional
designers to elevate our practices from efficient systemic approaches for
teaching and instructional design to focusing on individual learners and
effective pedagogical practices to develop empowered learners ready to
successfully negotiate the rapidly changing era of information.
Technology is at our fingertips, it is up to us to competently implement its
unique affordances to promote new ways to educate and support deep,
meaningful, and self-directed learning. Grounding our practices in
sociocultural theory can significantly aid our efforts.