Preview

Social development

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
246 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Social development
Social development

Down through the years psychologists and individuals involved in education have developed and investigated different theories about how children learn. To understand how children receive and use information is of great value to parents, teachers and indeed society in general as the children of today are tomorrow’s adults and our society will not develop if our children cannot learn effectively. In this essay I will discuss the theories of Lev Vygotsky as I believe his work has become the foundation for a lot of our modern day theories and concepts in regard to a child’s cognitive development.. Vygotsky's theory of Social Development as it is also known was the building block for the concepts and strategies now used in our pre-schools and schools today. Unlike Piaget who believed that development proceeds learning, Vygotsky believed that to develop, a child must learn first. He rightly believed that the most effective learning comes from a child’s social interaction in society and the cultural they are reared in. Social factors and culture contribute to a child’s cognitive development. Vygotsky believed that society gave a child various cultural tools which enabled learning, language being one of the most important. Language is the primary form of interaction and through language a child can communicate thoughts, emotions, opinions and ideas and develop friendships. A child’s level of language skills can and most likely will affect all other aspects of their development both personally and academically.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    According to Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, social relationships and interactions influence a child’s development. Children are in constant contact with parents, teachers, peers and relatives, Vygotsky believed that these relationships are the foundations of a child’s learning. A parent and teacher’s relationship with the child is important as they read to them, explain points and hold conversations. Peers are also important as they encourage a child’s conversations and discussions. However it is the socio-cultural theory diagram that best represents the relationship between the child, the teacher, the parent, the curriculum and the environment.(SCU, 2011) Everything is connected and is working collaboratively together. The child has access to all these influences, not only does the child have a relationship with the teacher but the teacher also has a relationship with the curriculum, and vice versa. This is very important as the teacher needs to have these relationships to become better understanding and more knowledgeable. Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development and Kohlberg’s stages of moral development also explain that a child gradually…

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky proposed that children learn through interactions with their surrounding culture. This theory is known as the socio-cultural perspective. It also states that the cognitive development of children and adolescents is enhanced when they interact with others who have more advanced skills. Vygotsky viewed interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies. Vygotsky presented three important contributions to the cognitive development of children: the zone of proximal development, scaffolding, and private speech. These concepts have helped parents and instructors understand ways to educate children more efficiently.…

    • 882 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Early Years Framework

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He also believed that cognitive development results from the impute of language. Vygotsky (1934-1987) also believed that language and thought are different. The reason to this is, language and what goes on in baby’s head are two different things until, the age of three where they start putting words together and start thinking their thoughts using language and making sense. Moreover, as cited in Saul McLeod report 2007, Vygotsky theory (1934-1987) also emphasises on the role of an adult in supporting cognitive development and language. Additionally, Vygotsky (1934-1987) also believed that cognitive development connects with social interaction from guided learning within the ‘Zone of Proximal Development’. Whereas Piaget believed that children, cognitive developments depends on their independent…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vygotsky proposed that children’s development is affected by their culture and social interaction. He also suggested that children are not born with knowledge but they gain it through their social interactions with peers and adults; he does not rule out the importance of biological processes but proposes an interdependent relationship between biological development alongside social activity and cultural interaction.…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lev Vygotsky theorized that an individual's psychological development is shaped by his/her historical and social environment. In contrast to Piaget’s developmental theory which emphasizes one’s genetic inner substance for cognitive development, Vygotsky’s model gave central focus to social interaction and the structuring power of content in the learning process. In accordance with locating the external aspects of the major element of human development, he highlighted the way in which children’s frameworks of understanding and achievement are learned from the adults or other partners.…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Children At Play Analysis

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Psychologist Lev Vygotsky 's theory of cognitive development sets that data from the outside world is changed and adopted through language. Since language is both a typical arrangement of communication and a social device used to transmit culture and history, is a basic impact of both language development and a kid's comprehension of the outside world. At the point when a child is influencing everything, he or she is in a consistent exchange either with self or others.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The purpose of this paper is to summarize the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, as such I would look at the similarities and differences between the two theories. Further, the paper will present the benefits from having a thorough understanding of these theories. Piaget and Vygotsky are notorious for their methods and approaches to teaching. Both theorists have offered comprehensive explanations regarding the cognitive learning styles and abilities of children. Moreover, Piaget and Vygotsky while differing in their views of cognitive development have given educators through their theories wonderful suggestions on teaching in a manner that is developmentally appropriate…

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    the work of Lev Vygotsky

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The work of Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) has become the foundation of much research and theory in cognitive development over the past several decades, particularly of what has become known as Social Development Theory.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Learning Theories

    • 1453 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The major theme of Vygotsky’s theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygoysky states: “Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological) (Funderstanding, 2001). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals.…

    • 1453 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Social development

    • 1310 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The purpose of this paper is to correlate the relationship between three major theories of…

    • 1310 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vygotskys theory of Socio-cultural or Social Development as it is also known was the building block for the concepts and stratagies now used in our pre-schools and schools today. Unlike Piaget who believed that development preceeds learning, Vygotsky believed that to develop, a child must learn first. He rightly believed that the most effective learning comes from a child’s social interaction in society and the cultural they are reared in. Social factors and culture contribute to a child’s cognitive development. Vygotsky believed that society gave a child various cultural tools which enabled learning, language being one of the most important. Language is the primary form of interaction and through language a child can communicate thoughts, emotions, opinions and ideas and develop friendships. A child’s level of language skills can and most likely will effect all other aspects of their development both personally and academically.…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the early twentieth century, Lev Vygotsky outlined his theories of developmental psychology, which took a sociocultural view of the child in the context of their culture, moving through the “zone of proximal development” (Miller, 2011). The zone of proximal development describes a theoretical construct that between tasks a child is able to achieve independently, and a more advanced task that they are able to achieve with meaningful guidance and interaction with a teacher (or any instructional figure) (pp. 174-175). He further outlined the social context of this theory by saying that “The path from object to child and from child to object passes through another person” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 30 as quoted in Miller, 2011, pp. 170-171). What this statement implies is that children do not learn in a vacuum as it were, there must be some kind of social interaction in the context of…

    • 2560 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) researched and developed a theory in cognitive development focusing on socio-cultural contribution towards cognitive development while Piaget also developed a cognitive development theory but without any focus at all. Social and cultural influences have proven to have an influence on the development of cognition. South Africa is a country with diverse cultures therefore the learners we teach come from different social and cultural backgrounds, they come to class with different social and cultural influences instilled in them before we as educators can begin to create meaningful learning for them. The Collins Cobuild advanced dictionary is defines social as a large organized group, while culture is defined as ‘culture: consists of activities such as the arts and philosophy, which are considered to be important for the development of civilization and of people’s minds’ by the same dictionary. ‘Vygotsky’s theories stress the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition’. Social interaction plays a major role towards the development of cognition because it is human nature for people to interact with one another. Human beings are exposed to each other and we learn from one another as a result. The child-centered…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    social development

    • 11658 Words
    • 47 Pages

    Seibel, D. Hans., 2005. Does the History Matter: The Old and the New World of…

    • 11658 Words
    • 47 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Social development can be distinguished as one of the main elements that ensure a child develops wholly. One definition determines the process as “the adoption of the behaviour patterns of the surrounding culture” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/socialisation, 30/11/2008), thus promoting the need for norms and values to encourage moral development, which effectively helps children learn and understand themselves as an individual. It undertakes the importance of play to allow children to draw away from their egocentric traits, whilst also addressing the influence of family backgrounds.…

    • 2144 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays