Group+1

by: Caitlin Vockroth and Alicia Lazaris
 * Lev Vygotsky's Social Development Theory**



"What children can do with the assistance of others might be in some sense even more indicative of their mental development than what they can do alone."

~ Lev Vygotsky ~

In 1978, Lev Vygotsky developed the social development theory. This theory states that students learn best when working with others. He believes that social interaction directly influences our development and cognition. Culture also has a large influence on our learning. We learn from the culture around us and by discussing different cultures with our peers.


 * Three Major Themes:**

1. Social learning precedes development. Vygotsky believes that children first obtain knowledge from their peers. From infancy, children interact with others (parents, siblings, friends, etc.) and absorb new information from this interaction. This is the first type of learning we are capable of as humans. The second level of this theory states that after we learn socially, we are then able to develop our own knowledge without the helps of others.

2. The "MKO." Vygotsky developed this term which stands for the More Knowledgeable Other. The MKO has more knowledge about a certain topic than the learner. The learner interacts with the MKO and gains new information from this person. Examples of an MKO are teachers, coaches, parents, or even peers, books, and computers.

3. The "ZPD." This acronym refers to the Zone of Proximal Development. The zone is the difference between the student's ability to perform a task with guidance and the student's ability to perform it independently. Vygotsky believes we should teach within this zone; our lessons should not be too easy or too difficult. For example, a young child learning to read will need guidance when trying to read and will not be able to read on their own. Therefore, to give this child an assignment of reading a story and answering questions on it would not be practical. Instead, this child would not a teacher/adult to sit with him/her while reading and would perform best answering questions in a discussion format.

media type="youtube" key="rX8lRh1u5iE" height="390" width="480" This video gives a pictorial representation of the Zone of Proximal Development. This chart describes the strengths and weaknesses of Vygotsky's theory.

Social development theory is associated with constructivism in that the social development theory emphasizes the importance of social interaction on learning and constructivism advocates collaboration in learning. In order for collaboration to take place amongst the students and teachers, social interaction must occur. Also, the social development theory explains that students learn best through authentic activities, which is a large factor that affects the students’ ability to construct their own knowledge, one aspect of the constructivist theory.
 * Social Development Theory Associated with Constructivism **

One way technology can be integrated into classroom instruction and employ the social development theory is through the use of computers and the internet. There are several ways students can work together with their peers and teachers to interact with other students around the world, discussing and learning about different cultures through using the internet.
 * Integrating Technology into the Classroom Using Social Development Theory **

The students would have assigned seating in groups of four. Each student would have a laptop of their own to use at their desks.
 * Classroom set-up **

Instruction would be student-centered, where the teacher would act as a guide to the students learning. The assignment for the students would be to contact a student living in another country using various features on this website Global School Connect. Once they have been able to successfully connect with a student, they will interview them with a set of questions regarding the country they live in, their neighborhood, their school, and their home life. After the students have successfully gathered as much information as possible, they would then share the information they learned about their "new friend" with their peers in their small groups. They would use Microsoft Powerpoint on their laptops to present the information they gathered. This assignment provides students the ability to learn and develop through the culture within the classroom, as well as the culture outside of the classroom.
 * Instruction and Technology Integration **

5th grade
 * Targeted grade level **


 * Goals for this instruction include: **
 * Social interaction
 * Cultural awareness
 * Teacher and student collaboration
 * Use of technology for learning purposes


 * References **