Lev Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky was born November 17, 1896 and died June 11, 1934.
He was born in in the western region of the Russian Empire. His formal work in psychology did not begin until 1924 when he began collaborating with Alexei Leontiev and Alexander Luria.

His Main Contributions

• social learning
• Zone of Proximal Developmtent
• Zone of Proximal Development
• Sociocultural theory

He claimed cognitive development comes from social interaction.

He also claimed the environment children grow up in makes a difference in their thinking patterns.

One thing he stresses is the role of language.

He said cognitive development comes from internalization of language.

One thing he is famous for is the Zone of Proximal Development, or ZPD.

According to Vygotsky, the zone of proximal development is "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers."

In other words, ZPD describes the area between a child’s level of independent performance and the child’s level of assisted performance .

This is where a teacher scaffolds instruction to teach children what they can do with help.

He believed that just as physical tools extend our physical abilities, mental tools extend our mental abilities.

This enables us to solve problems and create solutions in the modern world.

His theories don't allow the teacher to "transmit" ideas like a telepath.

Instead, the learner plays an active role in learning.

His view can be summed up in one word

Impact

People impact society as society impacts people

Vygotsky died at the age of 38 from tuburculosis