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Learning Theories EssayLev Vygotsky, born in the U. S. S. R. in 1896, is responsible for the hearty victimization speculation of learning. He proposed that social inter exploition profoundly influences cognitive using. Vygotskys key point is his belief that biological and cultural teaching do non occur in isolation. Vygotsky access codeed development differently from Piaget. Piaget believed that cognitive development consists of four main periods of cognitive puzzleth sensory motor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations.Piagets guess suggests that development has an give the sackpoint in goal. Vygotsky, in contrast, believed that development is a handle that should be analyzed, instead of a intersection to be obtained. Marcy P. Driscoll stated (as cited in Riddle, 1999) that Vygotsky believes the development process that begins at birth and continues until death is too entangled to be defined by stages. The major theme of Vygotskys theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition.Vygoysky states Every function in the childs cultural development appears twice first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level first surrounded by people (interpsychological) and past inside the child (intrapsychological) (Funderstanding, 2001). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to formation of c at one timepts. All the high functions originate as actual relationships between individuals.A second aspect of Vygotskys theory is the image that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain time span that he calls the partition of proximal development (ZPD). Vygotsky believed that this life long process of development was dependent on social interaction and that social learning actually leads to cognitive development (Kearsley, 1998). Vygotsky describes it as the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined by dint ofLearning Theories 3 problem solving under adult counsellor or in collaboration with more capable peers (Funderstanding, 2001). In other words, a student apprise perform a task under adult guidance or with peer collaboration that could not be achieved alone. The Zone of Proximal Development bridges the gap between what is known and what can be known. Vygotsky cl look ated that learning occurred in this zone. Therefore, Vygotsky focused on the connections between people and the cultural context in which they act and interact in shared experiences. harmonise to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as vernacular and writing, to mediate their social environments. Initially, Children develop these tools to serve solely as social functions, ways to impart needs. Vygotsky believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills (Riddle, 1999). When Piaget observed young children participating in egocentric speech in their preoperational stage, he believed it was a phase that disappeared once the child reached the stage of concrete operations.Driscoll states (as cited in Riddle, 1999) in contrast, Vygotsky viewed this egocentric speech as a transition from social speech to internalized thought. Thus, Vygotsky believed that thought and lecture could not exist without each other. Vygotskys theory was an attempt to explain consciousness as the end product of socialization. For example, in the learning of language, our first vocal noises with friends or adults are for the purpose of communication, but once mastered they become internalized and allow inner speech.Traditionally, schools have not promoted environments in which the students play an prompt role in their education and in the education of their friends. Vygotskys theory, however, requires the teacher and students to play untraditional roles as they join forces with ea ch other. Instead of a teacher dictating the lessons to students and later evaluate them, a teacher should collaborate with her students in order to create meaningful ways that students can make their own evaluation. Learning then becomes a reciprocal experience for the students and the teacher. Learning Theories 4.The physical classroom, based on Vygotskys theory, would provide agglomerative desks or tables and work infinite for peer instruction, collaboration, and bittie group instruction. Like the environment, the instructional design of actual would be structured to promote and encourage student interaction and collaboration. Thus, the classroom becomes a community of learning. Because Vygotsky asserts that cognitive change occurs within the Zone of Proximal development, instruction would be designed to reach a developmental level that is just above the students current developmental level.Vygotsky proclaims, learning which is oriented toward developmental levels that have a lready been reached is in legal from the view point of the childs overall development. It does not aim for a new stage of the developmental process, but rather lags behind this process (Social Development, 1996). Appropriation is necessity for cognitive development within the zone of proximal development. Individuals participating in peer collaboration or guided teacher instruction moldiness share the same focus in order to assenting the zone. Samuel J.Hausfather states (as cited in Riddle, 1999), joint attention and shared problem solving is needed to create a process of cognitive, social, and emotional interchange. Furthermore, it is essential that the partners be on different developmental levels. In addition, the partner that is on the higher level needs to be aware of his partners lower level. If this does not occur, or if one partner continually dominates, the interaction is less successful. Scaffolding and reciprocal teaching are effective strategies to access the zone.Scaf folding requires the teacher to provide students the opportunity to extend the current skills and knowledge. Hausfather reports (as cited in Riddle, 1999) the teacher mustiness engage students interests, simplify tasks so they are manageable, and motivate students to pursue the instructional goal. In addition, the teacher must look for discrepancies between students efforts and the solution, control for frustration and risk, and model an idealized version of the act. Learning Theories 5 Reciprocal teaching allows for the creation of a dialogue between students and teachers.This two-way communication becomes an instructional outline by encouraging students to go beyond answering and discussing questions. A study (as cited in Riddle, 1999) demonstrated the Vygotskian approach with reciprocal teaching methods in their successful program to teach reading strategies. The teacher and students alternated turns leading small group discussions on reading. After modeling four reading strate gies, students began to assume the teaching role. Results of this study showed probatory gains over other instructional strategies.Cognitively Guided Instruction is another strategy to implement Vygotskys theory. This strategy involves the teacher and students exploring math problems and then sharing their different problem solving strategies in an pioneer dialogue (Riddle, 1999). Vygotskys social development theory challenges traditional teaching methods. Historically, schools have been organized approximately recitation teaching. According to Hausfather, (as cited in Riddle, 1999) the teacher disseminates knowledge to be memorized by the students, who in turn, recite the entropy back to the teacher.However, the studies described above offer empirical evidence that learning, based on the social development theory, facilitates cognitive development over other instructional strategies (Riddle, 1999). School structure does not hypothecate the rapid changes that society is experie ncing. Opportunities for social interaction have greatly increased with the introduction and integration of calculating machine technology. Therefore, the social context for learning is transforming as well.Learning relationships can now be formed from distances through cyberspace, whereas collaboration and peer instruction was once only possible in shared physical space (Bacalarski, 1994). Computer technology is a cultural tool that students can use to mediate and internalize their learning. According to Kathryn Crawford (as cited in Riddle, 1999) recent research suggest changing the Learning Theories 6 learning contexts with technology is a powerful learning activity. If schools continue to resist structural change, students will not be as prepared as they should be for the world.Lev Vygotsky lived during the Russian Revolution, a time of great change in his culture. His theory was that biological and cognitive development does not happen apart from each other. These two developm ents sustain and grow from each other. This is when learning takes place. Because of this theory, his environment of change was a great influence in his own cognitive processes. Learning Theories 7 References Bacalarski, M. C. , (1994). Vygotskys Developmental Theories and the Adulthood of Computer Mediated Communication a analogy and an Illumination.Retrieved November 7, 2003 from http//psych. hanover. edu/vygotsky/bacalar. html. Funderstanding, (2001). Vygotsky and Social Cognition. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from http//www. funderstanding. com/vygotsky. cfm. Kearsley, G. , (1998). Social Development (Vygotsky). Retrieved November 9, 2003 from http//members. aol. com/daidpeal/vygotsky. html. Riddle, E. M. , (1999). Lev Vygotskys Social Development Theory. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from www. kihd. gmu. edu/immersion/knowledgebase/theorists/constructivism/vygotsky.