Reflective Essay
Reflective Essay:
This essay is a reflective essay on my learning development from a young age through to my current position as a University Student. I will be relating my learning development back to two theories of human development, Vygotstsky’s socio-cultural theory and Marcia’s version of Erikson’s theory of identity development. I will identify and discuss the challenge I have faced with my identity and how this has impacted on my development.
Vygotsky is a theorist who believed that the social and cultural environment of a child can help them develop and learn. Vygotsky was born into an intellectual Russian-Jewish family. His father was a bank manager and his mother was a teacher. Being a Jew his education was restricted. However, he was able to win a place into the University of Moscow in 1913, gaining a degree in law, with a specialisation in literature. After graduating he taught a range of subjects to adults and children, including language and literature, logic and psychology, and art history and theatre. In 1934, Vygotsky was invited to join the Institute of Psychology in Moscow. There he collaborated with two other Russian psychologists, Alexander Luria and Alexei Leontiev. They developed a ‘cultural-historical’ or ‘sociohistorical’ view of human development that emphasised cognitive activities such as thinking, memory and reasoning (Miller, 1993). Due to the Communist Party increasing control, Vygotsky’s work was not accessible until the 1960’s. (Cited in Educational psychology, Krause).
Vygotsky’s argued that how we learn is related to our interaction with others. “The true direction of the development of thinking is not from the individual to the social, but from the social to the individual.” (Vygotsky 1986, p.36) The thought that individuals internalise the ideas they observe during social interaction is a way of thinking. Their thinking and learning is forming with each interaction. From a young age I have always found it easier to
This essay is a reflective essay on my learning development from a young age through to my current position as a University Student. I will be relating my learning development back to two theories of human development, Vygotstsky’s socio-cultural theory and Marcia’s version of Erikson’s theory of identity development. I will identify and discuss the challenge I have faced with my identity and how this has impacted on my development.
Vygotsky is a theorist who believed that the social and cultural environment of a child can help them develop and learn. Vygotsky was born into an intellectual Russian-Jewish family. His father was a bank manager and his mother was a teacher. Being a Jew his education was restricted. However, he was able to win a place into the University of Moscow in 1913, gaining a degree in law, with a specialisation in literature. After graduating he taught a range of subjects to adults and children, including language and literature, logic and psychology, and art history and theatre. In 1934, Vygotsky was invited to join the Institute of Psychology in Moscow. There he collaborated with two other Russian psychologists, Alexander Luria and Alexei Leontiev. They developed a ‘cultural-historical’ or ‘sociohistorical’ view of human development that emphasised cognitive activities such as thinking, memory and reasoning (Miller, 1993). Due to the Communist Party increasing control, Vygotsky’s work was not accessible until the 1960’s. (Cited in Educational psychology, Krause).
Vygotsky’s argued that how we learn is related to our interaction with others. “The true direction of the development of thinking is not from the individual to the social, but from the social to the individual.” (Vygotsky 1986, p.36) The thought that individuals internalise the ideas they observe during social interaction is a way of thinking. Their thinking and learning is forming with each interaction. From a young age I have always found it easier to
References: • Miller P.H (1993)Theories of developmental psychology (3rd ed.) New York, W.H Freeman • Citation – Krause K, (2010) Cognitive Development: Educational psychology for Learning and Teaching • Vygotsky, L.S (1986) Thought and language (A.Kozulin trans) Cambridge, MA: MIT press (Original work published 1934) • Vygotsky, L.S (1978) Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes • Vygotsky, L.S (1981). The genesis of higher mental functions. In Wertsch, J.V (Ed and Trans). The concept of activity in Soviet psychology. Armonk, NY. : M.E Sharpe. • Krause k, (2010) Cognitive Development: Educational psychology for Learning and Teaching. (3rd ed.) Cengage Learning Australia. • Erickson. E.H (1975) Life history and the historical moment. Oxford: W.W Norton. • Citation – Krause K, (2010) Social, emotional and moral development: Educational psychology for Learning and Teaching. (3rd ed.) p.109. • Krause K, (2010) Social, emotional and moral development: Educational psychology for Learning and Teaching. (3rd ed.) Cengage Learning Australia.