Vygotsky’s

Socio-Cultural
Theory
Lulu, Chinee
PIECE IT!
Put all the pieces together to see the whole
picture.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, the student are expected to:

explain
01 why Vygotsky’s theory is called socio-
cultural theory,

comprehend
the key themes of Vygotsky’s theory, 02
differentiate
03 Vygotsky’s and Piaget’s theory
Lev Vykotsky
• He was born in Russia on November
17, 1896.
• His work began when he was studying
learning and development.
• He wrote on languange, thought,
psydchology of art, learning and
development, and educating students
with special needs.
Key Themes of Vygotsky’s Theory

Social Zone of
Culture
Interaction cultural tools,
Proximal
role in learning
especially tool of Development
and thinking
language
 01
Social
Interaction
Effective learning
happens through
partcipation in
social activities.
02
Culture
Elementary Mental Function

Attention Sensation Perception Memory

Through interaction within the sociocultural environment,

these are developed into effective mental processes.
Higher mental processes are firs
co-constructed during shared
activities then internalized by
the child to become part of
their development.
Effects of Culture – Tools of
Intellectual Adaptation
Tools of intellectual adaptation is
Vygotsky’s term for methods of
thinking and problem-solving
strategies that children internalize
through social interactions.
 More
Knowledgeable
Other
 MKO
The more knowledgeable other
refers to someone who has a
better understanding or a higher
ability level than the learner,
with respect to a particular
task, process, or concept.
 More Knowledgeable Other

Parents Teacher
More Knowledgeable Other

Peers Younger Ones

 Zone of
Proximal
Development
Zone of Proximal Development
● It is used to explain a child's potential
for cognitive development and ability when
they are guided through a task, rather than
asked to do it in isolation.
● It refers to the difference between what a
learner can do without help and what he/she
can achieve with guidance and encouragement
from a skilled partner.
Zone of Proximal Development Stages
Learner can do Potential Level
without
assistance ZPD

Learner can do
with assistance
Actual Level
Learner can’t do
even with
assistance
ZPD = Potential Level – Actual
Level
Potential
Actual Level
Level
Level that the learner Level that the learner
achieves with the help achieves alone
of a teacher or a more
advanced peer
Scaffolding
Scaffolding

It is the support or assistance

that lets the child accomplish a
task he/she can’t accomplish
independently.
What can
you say
about the
picture?
Process of Scaffolding

1 2 3 4
I do, I do, You do, You do,
you watch. you help. I help. I watch.
Learners Depend on the:

01 Skill of the MKO

02 Learner’s readiness

Difficulty of the
03 skill being learned
 “What a child can to in
cooperation today, he can do
alone tomorrow.”
—Lev Vygotsky
03 Languange
Language
Vygotsky viewed language as an essential tool
for communication and that culture and behavior
was understood through language.
Three /forms of language in the development
process:
● Social speech

● Private speech

● Silent inner speech

Private Speech
● Vygotsky viewed private speech as
a method of self-regulating
behavior.
● It could be useful in helping a
child exercise their imagination,
practice problem-solving skills
and organize their thoughts.
 04
Piaget vs.
Vygotsky
Piaget vs. Vygotsky
Piaget Vygotsky
More individual in focus More social in focus
Did not propose stages but
Believed that there are
emphasized on cultural
universal stages of
factors in cognitive
cognitive development
development
Stressed the role of
Did not give much emphasis
language in cognitive
on language
development
Conclusion
Vygotsky said, “The teacher must orient his work not on
yesterday’s development in the child but on tomorrow’s.”
Vygotsky emphasized the role of social interaction in
learning and development. Scaffolding is the systematic
manner of providing assistance to the learner that helps
the learner to effectively acquire skill . He believed
that guidance from a more knowledgeable other (MKO) would
lead a learner to high level performance than if he were
alone. The higher level of performance then eventually
becomes the actual performance when he works independently
in the future. His concept of zone of proximal development
(ZPD) illustrates this.
THANK YOU!
You’ll have your quiz next week, do
your best :))
.