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Vygotsky and Instructional Technology

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Title: Vygotsky and Instructional Technology


1
Vygotsky and Instructional Technology
  • Kevin E Kalinowski
  • University of North Texas
  • March 2, 2005

2
Vygotsky and Instructional Technology
  • Vygotsky, and Post Vygotsky
  • Humans as Tool Users
  • Vygotskys Ideas
  • Impact on Instructional Technology
  • Resources

3
Vygotsky
  • Born 1896 in Russia (same year as Piaget)
  • Early student of literature, literary analysis,
    poetry and philosophy (as opposed to Piaget, who
    started in zoology)
  • Entered Moscow University medical school,
    switched to law school, and simultaneously
    enrolled in a private university to continue
    studying literature (1913-1917)
  • Became interested in psychology at 28
  • Taught literature for in a provincial school,
    then taught at a teacher's college - where he
    gave his first lectures on psychology
  • The Psychology of Art (1925) was his first large
    research project -- He used this as his PhD
    thesis in psychology at Moscow Institute of
    Psychology (1924-1934)
  • Died 1934 from tuberculosis (Piaget lived until
    1980)

4
Post Vygotsky
  • Vygotsky's work appeared largely forgotten after
    his death
  • His work in early cognitive development does not
    appear to have influenced Piaget
  • His ideas were introduced to the West in the late
    1950s and early 1960s through Vygotsky's student,
    Alexander Luria
  • Lurias work was definitely read by the pioneers
    of cognitive science J. S. Bruner, George Miller
    and Howard Gardner
  • By the 1980s, Vygotsky's work was well known in
    the United States

5
Humans as Tool Users
  • Versus Puzzle Solvers (Wundt, Thorndike,
    Skinner Behaviorism) or Story Tellers (Freud
    Psychoanalysis)
  • What works is what counts
  • The central fact about our psychology is the fact
    of mediation. (Vygotsky)

6
The Tool User
  • Available tools
  • various systems for counting
  • mnemonic techniques
  • algebraic symbol systems
  • works of art
  • writing
  • schemes, diagrams, maps, and technical drawings
  • all sorts of conventional signs
  • language itself
  • (Vygotsky)

7
Vygotskys Ideas
  • Internalization
  • The absorption of knowledge from context (outside
    in)
  • As opposed to Piagets theory of cognitive
    development, which is based on biological
    research, and emphasizes inside out maturation
  • Social influences are key much of learning
    occurs through the interaction with the
    environment

8
Vygotskys Ideas
  • Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
  • Range of potential between a childs observable
    level of realized ability and the childs
    underlying latent capacity
  • Difference between performance and competence
  • We observe what children can do, based on their
    interactions, heredity and environment

9
Vygotskys Ideas
  • ZPD (continued)
  • But we are most concerned with what they are
    capable of doing if they were freed from the
    confines of their environment
  • Impacts testing/assessment
  • Vygotsky recommended that we move to a dynamic
    assessment environment, in which the tester
    guides the child to facilitate problem solving

10
Vygotskys Ideas
  • ZPD (continued)
  • Vygotsky called this cognitive scaffolding
  • Key to measuring ZPD because this ability
    indicates the extent to which the child can
    expand beyond his/her observable abilities
  • A child who can profit from instruction
    potentially can go far (Sternberg)

11
Impact on Instructional Technology
  • From a personal observation of the literature
  • ZPD seems to have been thrown around a great deal
    as the reason to have any type of technology in
    the classroom
  • Let children rise to their potential!

12
Impact on Instructional Technology
  • Possibilities in Education
  • Activities that create a context
  • specific culture, society and experience
  • Activities that provide socialization
  • peer interaction
  • Activities that provide expert interaction
  • guiding, monitoring and scaffolding
  • Activities that help students reach their ZPD
  • potential competence

13
Impact on Instructional Technology
  • Questions in Education
  • Can we replace the expert with a computer
    and/or expert system?
  • Can a computer and/or expert system accurately
    identify and correctly target instruction
    (scaffolding) so a child can reach their ZPD?
  • Will a computer program and/or expert system
    provide the socialization required by Vygotsky?

14
References/Resources
  • Massey University Virtual Faculty
  • http//www.massey.ac.nz/alock/virtual/project2.ht
    m
  • Maintained by A.J. Lock, Dept. of Psychology,
    Massey University, New Zealand. Includes a
    bibliography and resources on Vygotsky. Dated
    materials.
  • Ingenious NMSI NOF-digitise website
  • http//www.ingenious.org.uk/
  • Maintained by the National Museum of Science
    Industry (UK). Includes a discussion on the
    models of human nature and behavior.

15
References/Resources
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • By Robert J Sternberg, 2003. Belmont, CA
    Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
  • Undergraduate/graduate textbook on cognitive
    psychology. Sternberg is a Professor of
    Psychology at Yale.
  • Encyclopedia of Educational Technology
  • http//coe.sdsu.edu/eet/
  • Edited by Bob Hoffman, San Diego State
    University. A wealth of information on Cognitive
    Learning and ADDIE.

16
References/Resources
  • The Vygotsky Internet Archive
  • http//www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/index.htm
  • Maintained by the Marxists Internet Archive, a
    volunteer based non-profit organisation, with the
    purpose of educating people around the world
    about Marxism. Includes a Vygotsky biography and
    transcriptions/translations of selected works.
  • emTechs Learnings Theories
  • http//www.emtech.net/learning_theories.htm
  • Compiled by Drs. George E. Marsh II, Anna C.
    McFadden and Barrie Jo Price. Resources and
    articles on Vygotsky, as well as other learning
    theorists.

17
Vygotsky and Instructional Technology
  • Kevin E Kalinowski
  • University of North Texas
  • March 2, 2005
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