language teaching and learning theories

Educational Learning Theories book

CHAPTER 4
Sociocultural Theory

Prepared by:
Lecturer:
Sandy basim kareem Dr. Ban jafar sadiq
 Constructivism
Constructivism is a learning theory that emphasizes the active role
of learners in building their own understanding. Rather than
passively receiving information, learners reflect on their
experiences, create mental representations, and incorporate new
knowledge into their schemas
Constructivists believe that learning is affected by the context in
which an idea is taught as well as by students' beliefs and attitudes.
Lev Semonovich Vygotsky Background

Vygotsky was born in Russia in 1896 and he died on 1934, after

long battle with TB.
 He graduated from Moscow University with a degree in law.
Vygotsky's first big research project was in 1925 with a focus on
psychology of art.
Despite receiving no formal training in psychology, Vygotsky
was fascinated by it.
Vygotsky is best known for being an educational psychologist
with a sociocultural theory and he has written articles and books
including Thought and Language
 Introduction
The sociocultural theory:
 Vygotsky's theory suggests that development depends on interaction with
people and the tools that the culture provides
 Focus on DYADIC INTERACTIONS (e.g., child being taught by a parent
how to perform some culturally specific action), rather than child by
himself.
 There are three ways a cultural tool can be passed from one individual to
another; imitative learning, instructed learning and collaborative learning.
 Particular attention is given to the significance of culture, the role of
language, and the student’s relationship with and development within this
social world.
The relationship between the social world
and cognitive development considered by:

Piaget Bandura Vygotsky

a student constructs learns through imitation relies upon teacher
knowledge through or observation support which is
discovery and congruent with the
experiment student’s immediate
(proximal) potential for
learning
 Cognitive Development and the Social
World
 Vygotsky’s theory on cognitive development have summarized as: (i) the significance of
culture, (ii) the role of language, and (iii) the student’s relationship with and development
within this sociocultural world.
 Humans are not only producing culture, but are also products of culture themselves.
 Language is the tool of culture which enables social interaction, and thus the direction of
behavior and attitudes, and indeed the development of culture itself.
 The relationship of language and cognition can be identified through three key stages in
the development of speech: social, egocentric, and inner speech.
 every function in the child’s cognitive development, such as attention, logic or concept
formation, appears twice: first on the social level and then on the individual level.
 school system influence the cognitive development of children. Vygotsky’s ideas suggest
that student-teacher and student-peer relationships are of prime importance of generating
and facilitating new ideas
 Theory’s Principles and Concepts
• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
The difference between what a child can do
independently and when the child needs help from a
more knowledgeable person to do is the

Zone of
Proximal
Development
 Theory’s Principles and Concepts
• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Distance Between Actual and Potential Knowledge

potential
knowledge
potential

ZPD ZPD

actual
knowledge actual

Two children with the same actual knowledge travel different distances to their potential
knowledge; therefore different ZPDs
This is an example of how ZPD can work in the
life of a child

Ahmed would like to learn the

card game and he asks his
brother Ali for help. Ali agrees,
and begins working with
Ahmed in learning the new
game.
Ahmed is learning in the region
Vygotsky would call ZPD.
This is an example of how ZPD can work in the life of a
child

In ZPD, Ahmed is doing

something requiring the help of
someone more capable.
Without Ali’s help, Ahmed
would be unable to play the
game.
Finally Ahmed will learn the
game well enough to play the
game by himself, and he begins
to teach his sister .
Scaffolding
“role of teachers and others in supporting the
learner’s development and providing support
structures to get to the next stage or level” Vygotsky.
In an educational context, however, scaffolding is
an instructional structure whereby the teacher models
the desired learning strategy or task then gradually
shifts responsibility to the students.
 Scaffolding
 Allows the learner to accomplish tasks otherwise
impossible
 Used only when needed
 Scaffolding is a mechanism by which ZPD’s are used to achieve a learning outcome beyond
a child’s immediate (starting) potential, and thus the specific learning activities change as
the student competence towards the ultimate task grows .The notion of ZPD also suggests
that effective teaching should not only be within the proximate potential of the individual,
but should perhaps be at the upper-level of the ZPD so as to maintain the student interest in
the activity.
• Example :
An example of scaffolding in the classroom setting could include a teacher first instructing
her children on how to write a sentence using commas and conjunctions. As the week goes
on, she has her students practice writing these sentences with peers, gives students feedback
and eventually has the kids to complete this skill without her guidance.
 advantages of computer-based learning

• Finally, an interesting issue which arises through

consideration of Vygotskian views is the specific
role and advantages of computer-based learning.
• Such ideas have had impact on the school system by
challenging teacher-directed (as opposed to student-
centered) learning programs, and perhaps emphasize
the care needed in, for example, computer-based and
distance learning teaching initiatives
 Criticisms of Sociocultural
Theory
 Vygotsky did not say what types of social interaction are best for learning.
 Learning is not always a result of active construction ,other factors involved such as
genetics.
 children are unable to understand certain concepts until they reach a level of maturity
even if there is more knowledgeable person.
 the concept of scaffolding-which is heavily dependent on verbal instruction-may not be
equally useful in all cultures for all types of learning. Indeed, in some instances,
observation and practice may be more effective ways of learning certain skills.
 Vygotsky's sociocultural perspective does not provide as many specific hypotheses to
test because of the language difficulty which make it difficult or impossible to translate.
 Conclusion

• Sociocultural theory is a sociological and psychological theory that

deal with the important of culture and society in developing and
shaping individuals.
• The ZPD describes what a student can accomplish with the help of
competent support, foe example a teacher.
• Scaffolding is an instructional practice which symbolizes strong
initial teacher support which is gradually reduced as the student
approaches the desired learning outcome.