Good evening, everyone, I’m here to present the lesson on Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural theory of cognitive

development. We’ll start with the person behind this theory, Lev Vygotsky who is a Russian psychologist,
who developed a theory of cognitive development known as the Socio-Cultural Theory of Cognitive
Development in the early 20th century.

The main assertion of the Vygotsky theory is that the cognitive development of children is advanced
through social interaction with other people, particularly those who are more skilled.

So as we can see here, social interaction was emphasized. It is because it plays a vital role in the
development of the cognitive aspect of children. Vygotsky believed everything is learned on two levels.
Through interaction with others, and then integrated into the individual’s mental structure.
Unlike Piaget's notion that children’s development must necessarily come before their learning,
Vygotsky argued that social learning tends to come before development.

Vygotsky claimed that infants are born with the basic abilities for intellectual development called
'elementary mental functions' (Piaget focuses on motor reflexes and sensory abilities). Elementary mental
functions includes: Attention, Sensation, Perception, Memory. Eventually, through interaction within the
sociocultural environment, these are developed into more sophisticated and effective mental processes
which he referred as 'higher mental functions.

So these are the Major Themes in Vygotsky’s Theory:

• Role of Social Interaction in Cognitive Development

• More Knowledgeable Others

• Zone of Proximal Development

• Scaffolding

So my report will focus on these particular terms. Let’s start with the Role of Social Interaction in Cognitive
Development. Definitely, Language plays a central role in mental development. We use language not just
to communicate but it is also a tool to learn from other people. As we grow older we communicate with
our parents, teachers, friends, etc. and as we communicate with them, we absorb information and we
learn skills from these people. Therefore, it becomes a very powerful tool of intellectual adaptation.

Next is the MKO “More Knowledgeable Others” This is somewhat a self-explanatory; it 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. Although the implication is that the MKO is a teacher or an older adult, this is not
necessarily the case. Many times, a child's peers or an adult's children may be the individuals with more
knowledge or experience. (EXAMPLE: TRENDS)
Next is the Zone of Proximal Development. Let us look at this picture, so as we can see

We can learn here that if it is provided with appropriate support at the right moments, students in
classrooms will be able to achieve tasks that would otherwise be too difficult for them.

Lastly, Scaffolding or assistance in other word, is most effective when the support is matched to the needs
of the learner. This puts them in a position to achieve success in an activity that they would previously not
have been able to do alone.

Educational Application

Vygotsky believes the role of education to provide children with experiences which are in their
ZPD, thereby encouraging and advancing their individual learnin. (Berk, & Winsler, (1995). 'From a
Vygotskian perspective, the teacher's role is mediating the child's learning activity as they share
knowledge through social interaction' (Dixon-Krauss, 1996, p. 18). Lev Vygotsky views interaction
with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies. He suggests that teachers use
cooperative learning exercises where less competent children develop with help from more skillful
peers - within the zone of proximal development.

So that’s it, thank you so much for listening.