Vygotsky Observation

Cognitive Development: Vygotsky

RECORD OF OBSERVATION

The subject is an 8 year old boy I will refer to as “Q” In his home. “Q” is playing a board game with his father “P”. The game consists of dice, player pieces that need to be moved and cards that are read telling the next move. Other people present are the boys’s 8 year old twin sister and the children's mother as the observer.

Q and P set out the board game. It looks very complicated, there are many pieces. This particular game is a continuation of a game that already started last weekend and was not finished. The pieces are placed beac into their spots and the games begins with P rolling the dice and taking a card. P reds the card and moves to his new place on the game board. It is now Q’s turn. Q takes a card and had difficulty reading the very complicated words on the card. P helps him sound out the words. The card indicates that Q will “Loses powers” and will move his game piece to to a undesirable spot on the game board. Q becomes frustrated and unwillingly moves his piece to the spot. P explains to Q P, “The next turn you will be able to move away from that spot and, things will return \to normal.”

Q calms down. P takes his turn and gains coins that are very valuable in the game. Q, “Now I am never going to win this game! Dada just got all the coins and he is going to win.”

Q begins to cry.

P, “Just because I have the coins does not mean I am going to win, or that you will not be able to get your own coins. Q you have to be patient and understanding. When you get upset and frustrated it makes it not fun to play the game with you. Calm down, take a breath, it’s your turn.”

Q takes his turn and pulls a card Q needs help reading the card, and asks P for help. They sound out the words. The card indicates Q is receiving a spell. Spell are very desirable in this game and are important to winning the game. Q becomes very excited and begins to gloat, saying to P. Q, “Dada now I have a spell and you don’t” P, “Good Q you could win the game! But you never know what he card going to give you next, remember that.”

P takes his turn and the game goes on without much excitement for 10 minutes. Then Q pulls a card and he is sent to jail and loses a turn. Q begins to cry and fall on the floor. Q,“ I am never going to win now! Dada just always wins he just always wins! It is not fair. I am using all my strategies to win, and I am still not winning!”

P, “Q you could still win, it’s just one turn.”

Q, (Crying loudly) “ No I can’t win! I can’t win! I can’t win!”

P, “Do you want to stop for today and play again tomorrow?”

Q, (Crying) “No I want to keep playing.”

P, “But we can’t play if you are crying and on the floor. You need to clam down and sit in your chair.

Q gets in his chair but continues to cry and yell at P.

Q, (Speaking loudly) “You always win Dada, it’s not fair.”

P, (Getting a little irritated) “I don’t always win, remember you won last time we played this game when you got the spell that sent me into the Dark Forest.

Q, “Yeah, but you win most of the time.

P, (Taking a deep breath) “Q if you can’t relax we are going to stop for today. We can leave the game out and come back to it later tonight. I think you need a break from this.”

Q,“No! I don’t! I want to play it.”

P, “We will come back to it later. Your sister can play with us then. You can beat her at this game for sure, she doe’n know how to play yet.” Q stopped crying and looked at P and smiled and laughed. Q became very motivated with the idea of coming back to the game later to play with his sister. Q, “Yeah lets play with E she needs help reading the cards, because I can read the card better then she can. P, “We will help her with the reading, but Q you need help reading the cards too. Q, Not as much help as she needs. Dad, we also have to show her the basic moves and tell her all the rules because she doesn’t know them yet. I can defiantly beat her at this game because I know a lot of good strategies to beat her.” P and Q left the game in place to come back to it later.

1. Describe the child’s ZDP for this activity. What was the child’s independent performance? What was the child’s assisted performance? This game is recommended for children ages 10-adult. The main objective of this activity was to help Q learn good sportsmanship and flexibility when things do not go his way. More age appropriate games were boring for him and so we choses a more cognitively challenging game for him to play that also incorporated his interests. This game is challenging for Q. Q’s independent performance is limited. Q knows the rules of the game and can fallow them without reminders. Q can read some of the word on the cards without assistance. Q can control his emotions independently some of the time. Q’s needs help sounding out some of the more difficult words on the cards and sometimes needs the adult to explain what the words means. Q needs verbal support with his emotions when he does not get the desired result in the game.

2. Who is providing the scaffolding? What type of scaffolding was used? In this case the Father of the child is providing the scaffolding. P is providing support in sounding out unknown words and deciphering difficult text. P provides support in regulating emotions and behaviors when Q becomes upset. Q’s. P providing strategies for Q to use to better understand the rules of the game.

3. Was the scaffolding successful in providing an opportunity for the child to perform at a higher level? In a similar situation, what else could an adult have done to provide scaffolding for maximum support? The scaffolding was successful in providing opportunity for Q to perform at a higher level then if he were playing alone or with peers of the same skill. For maximum support perhaps including a slightly older child with higher reading and reasoning skills then Q would have provided a small amount of discomfort. Thus lessening some of the behavioral outburst and providing a better learning environment for Q.

4. Based on this observation, module lecture, and your reading, how does the Vygotskian approach help you understand the learning process in the classroom or counseling situation? What are some examples of scaffolding that you plan to provide in your classroom of other professional setting? Vygotsky defined scaffolding instruction as the “role of teachers and others in supporting the learner’s development and providing support structures to get to that next stage or level” (Hartman 2002) An important aspect of scaffolding instruction is that the scaffolds are temporary. As the learner’s abilities increase the scaffolding provided by the more knowledgeable person is progressively withdrawn. Over time the learner is able to complete the task or master the concepts independently Therefore the goal of the educator when using the scaffolding teaching strategy is for the student to become an independent and self-regulating learner and problem solver (Hartman, 2002). As the learner’s knowledge and learning competency increases, the educator gradually reduces the supports provided Examples of scaffolding I plan to use in my classroom could include pairing children of different abilities or ages to a task to work on together,m such as dressing dolls or large floor puzzles. Also utilizing visual schedules and other visual supports for children is a form of scaffolding I use in my classroom.

5. Conduct an Internet search to investigate the Tools of the Mind project in Denver area schools which incorporates approaches based on Vygotsky’s work. Briefly summarize what you found. Critically reflect on what you see as the pros and cons of this approach. Tools of the Mind is a research-based early childhood program that builds on Vygotsks’s educational theory. Tools of the Mind promotes intentional and self-regulated learning. The Tools of the Mind program covers all developmental domains—cognitive, social-emotional, language, physical—and emphasizes the development of underlying skills, such as remembering on purpose, symbolic thinking and symbolic representation, and the development of literacy, mathematics, and science Tools of the Mind program is being implemented in Colorado, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. There are currently 15,000 pre-k and kindergarten classroom nation wide classrooms implementing this approach to learning. The Tools of the Mind program has been used in both full- or half-day programs in Head Start programs, public schools, and childcare centers. Tools classrooms are found in a variety of school settings from high-poverty schools in urban or rural areas to suburban areas that serve primarily middle-class children. While the Tools of the Mind curriculum is not specifically designed for children with special needs, according to the Tools of the Mind web site “Tools of the Mind has been used in both inclusion and self-contained special education classrooms with great success. The implementation of the program involves modifying activities and materials and is designed based on teacher input and child-specific disability. Several districts implementing RTI(Response to Intervention—IDEA legislation approach to special education) have used Tools as the core curriculum because the scaffolding built into the program can accommodate many different types of learners at many levels at the same time. Tools is well suited to the delivery of interventions within classroom activities so that learning transfer is maximized after the special education staff are no longer present to provide special support. This unique integration allows the regular classroom activity to continue to support the child with special needs.” (www. toolsof themind.org) I have never taught in a school that has used tools pf the mind, After reading articals and web sits in preparation for this paper I can see why the Tools of the Mind program wouls seem idel for all preschoolers. I found no negative One pro to the Tools of the Mind approach is its focus on the importance of play in the early childhood classroom. Teaching self regulation and using intentional learning are also benefits of this approach. Cons for this programs may be its approach to children with special needs. Is it as successful as the web sit says it is. I was unable to find much information on the program success rate in inclusive classroom except for the information provided by the programs own web site.

Hartman, H. (2002). Scaffolding & Cooperative Learning. Human Learning and Instruction (pp. 23-69). New York: City College of City University of New York.