Unit 9: Developmental Psychology

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Unit 9 Developmental Psychology

• Essential Task 9-4Explain the maturation of
  cognitive abilities according to Vygotsky with
  specific attention to zones of proximal
  development and compare this viewpoint to Piaget.

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Adulthood
Types of Studies
Adolescence
Adulthood
Unit 9 Developmental Psych
Prenatal Development
Aging
Cognitive Development
Moral Development
Piagets Stages
Vygotskys Theory
Gilligan
Kohlberg
Social Development
We are here
Erikson
Gender
Parenting Styles
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Essential Task 9-4
Outline

• Vygotskys theory of cognitive development
• Zones of proximal
• Compared to Piaget

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Vygotsky Continued

• Different than Piagets image of the individual
  constructing understanding alone
• Everything is social
• Vygotsky saw cognitive development as depending
  more on interactions with people tools in the
  childs world.
• Tools are real pens, paper, computers
• or Tools are symbols language, math systems,
  signs

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The Big Ideas

• Explained complex learning through Guided
  Participation.
• Explained things that are taught rather than
  discovered (reading, writing etc.)
• a way to share the thinking load
• Helping a novice accomplish a complex task
• Assistance can be physical or mental come from
  adults or peers
• Scaffolding where the more knowledgeable other
  provides some type of structure.

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The Big Ideas

• Vygotsky developed the theory of the Zone of
  proximal development (ZPD)
• The distance between where a learner is at
  developmentally on their own where a learner
  could be with the help of a more knowledgeable
  other.
• A more knowledgeable other can be an adult or a
  peer, helping a learner in this way is to
  scaffold their learning. Scaffolding occurs
  through the process of internalization mediated
  by language and though (see youtube).

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Examples of Guided Participation

• A mother sitting with her toddler singing, Baa,
  baa black sheep have you any wool, yes sir, yes
  sir . at this point the mother pauses and the
  child sings loudly, THREE BAGS FULL!.
• How is this guided participation?

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Examples of Guided Participation

• A 6-year old lost a toy asks her father for
  help. The father asks her where she last saw the
  toy the child says , I cant remember. He asks
  a series of questions Did you have it in your
  room? Outside? To each question the child
  answers No. When he asks, In the car?, she
  says I think so and finds the toy in the car.
• In this story, who found the toy?

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Examples of Guided Participation

• Think back to your days of drivers ed. and
  driving around with your parents and your
  temporary drivers license.
• In what ways did your parent or driving
  instructor provide guided participation for you?

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Vygotsky and Schools

• Emphasized social learning
• We can often complete harder tasks with someone
  else than we could alone.
• Collaborative learning, group presentations,
  group work
• Zone of Proximal Development
• The teacher considers how much scaffolding to
  give a student to help them learn.
• A push for authentic learning.
• Learning is tied to the context it is in.

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Motivation Vygotsky

• This view emphasizes how peoples identities are
  formed by their participation in a group
• Students can be motivated to learn by
  participating in communities where learning is
  valued
• Ex Children want to learn to read write to
  become members of the literary club, to be able
  to participate and interact with the written world

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Vygotskys Words

• It is through others that we become ourselves
• All learning is social
• What a child can do in co-operation today he can
  do alone tomorrow
• Guided participation, ZPD, scaffolding