In the context of cognitive development in early childhood, Vygotsky argued that

Have you ever tried to learn to do something new, and you gave up after trying for a while because it was just too hard? If you had someone to help you who knew how to do it, would that have made a difference? If not, what you were trying to learn was probably outside of your zone of proximal development.

The zone of proximal development in Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development

Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development proposes that cognitive abilities such as learning and problem solving are developed through social interaction with others during childhood. According to Vygotsky, culture and environment play a large role in cognitive development. He believed social interactions with others help a child to learn and develop.

Vygotsky’s theory is made up of several components which explain cognitive development. These components are the zone of proximal development, inner speech, and scaffolding. Let’s explore them. According to Vygotsky, children should always be taught in the zone of proximal development.

Zone of proximal development: it’s when a child is able to solve some problems by themselves but might need extra guidance from a responsible person who can solve the problem.

The person helping the child to learn initially takes responsibility for helping them do so, but gradually shifts this responsibility over to the child. Once a child masters a task, the responsible adult can figure out the next zone of proximal development to continue to help the child learn.

If a child can’t master a task even with assistance from an adult, then the task is not yet within the child’s zone of proximal development, and the level of learning difficulty should be reduced. Not helping a child to learn, or helping too much can interfere with cognitive development.

A child is shown how to ride a bike without stabilisers with guidance from a responsible adult. The child may already have the developmental abilities to be able to ride a bike without stabilisers. However, to learn this skill they require social interaction and guidance.

Inner speech in Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development

Inner speech develops as beliefs and concepts are processed internally. According to the theory, children acquire knowledge from their environment, which teaches them how to think. Children are thought to develop inner speech and use this to help them to solve problems.

Vygotsky also referred to this as internalisation. It is an important force in cognitive development. For those who have developed their inner speech, this is used on a regular daily basis to help solve problems, reason, and more.

A young child may speak their thoughts out loud, but as they grow they are able to internalise their thoughts.

Scaffolding in Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development

Scaffolding was not a term originally proposed by Vygotksy, but by other theorists who expanded on his work.

Scaffolding is the activities provided by the adult or teacher to help a child master a task in the zone of proximal development.

As a person builds knowledge, internalises it, and confidence increases, the level of external support is gradually reduced.

Driving independently after passing your driving test and gradually no longer needing the presence of a driving instructor or another person to support you whilst driving.

Evaluation of Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development

Vygotsky died at the age of 38, so his theory remains incomplete. Let’s study some of the weaknesses and strengths of Vygotsky’s theory, keeping in mind that he wasn't able to complete it.

Advantages

The theory has demonstrated the importance of social interaction in learning. This has had many practical implications on teaching. For example, schools put a focus on environmental factors such as peer relationships, group work, teacher attitudes, and classroom atmosphere.

Many psychologists in developmental psychology support Vygotsky’s theory and have applied it to their work.

For example, A. Brown’s Community of learner's model (2018) demonstrates the importance of children and adults working together, involving adults facilitating learning through the scaffolding technique and children learning from each other.

The theory encourages parents, education systems, and children to reach their full potential. The theory can lead to increased levels of knowledge, development of cognition, thoughts, and behaviours.Applying the theory to a child’s development may allow for the child to develop stronger friendships in childhood, building confidence, positive mental health, self-esteem, teamwork, and can lead to positive relationships in adult life.

Disadvantages

The theory doesn’t consider specific children's developmental characteristics at different ages but focuses more on the overall process of development during childhood. By contrast, Piaget strongly emphasises the different stages of development. The theory also does not expand upon the cognitive processes that occur during development.

Children learn and explore a lot on their own without assistance from others. Vygotsky may have overemphasised the social factors in his theory.

There may be limits to the practicalityof putting the theory into practice, particularly for teachers who are unable to facilitate friendships and group work in school due to behavioural issues from disruptive children. There may also be limits on school capacity, such as time, staff, and funding. In addition, Concepts such as inner speech are difficult to measure.

Vygotsky Theory of Cognitive Development - Key takeaways

• Vygotsky's theoryofcognitive development proposes that learning and cognitive abilities are developed through social interaction with others during childhood.

• The theory is made up of three key components: zone of proximal development, inner speech, and scaffolding.

• The theory has several advantages and implications in society, as it could influence education, schools, and parenting.

• The disadvantages of the theory are that it doesn’t describe specific stages of development as Piaget did.

• In some situations it may be difficult to put it into practice, and it is difficult to measure concepts such as inner speech.

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