Vygotsky and Instructional Technology

1
Vygotsky and Instructional Technology

• Kevin E Kalinowski
• University of North Texas
• March 2, 2005

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Vygotsky and Instructional Technology

• Vygotsky, and Post Vygotsky
• Humans as Tool Users
• Vygotskys Ideas
• Impact on Instructional Technology
• Resources

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Vygotsky

• Born 1896 in Russia (same year as Piaget)
• Early student of literature, literary analysis,
  poetry and philosophy (as opposed to Piaget, who
  started in zoology)
• Entered Moscow University medical school,
  switched to law school, and simultaneously
  enrolled in a private university to continue
  studying literature (1913-1917)
• Became interested in psychology at 28
• Taught literature for in a provincial school,
  then taught at a teacher's college - where he
  gave his first lectures on psychology
• The Psychology of Art (1925) was his first large
  research project -- He used this as his PhD
  thesis in psychology at Moscow Institute of
  Psychology (1924-1934)
• Died 1934 from tuberculosis (Piaget lived until
  1980)

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Post Vygotsky

• Vygotsky's work appeared largely forgotten after
  his death
• His work in early cognitive development does not
  appear to have influenced Piaget
• His ideas were introduced to the West in the late
  1950s and early 1960s through Vygotsky's student,
  Alexander Luria
• Lurias work was definitely read by the pioneers
  of cognitive science J. S. Bruner, George Miller
  and Howard Gardner
• By the 1980s, Vygotsky's work was well known in
  the United States

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Humans as Tool Users

• Versus Puzzle Solvers (Wundt, Thorndike,
  Skinner Behaviorism) or Story Tellers (Freud
  Psychoanalysis)
• What works is what counts
• The central fact about our psychology is the fact
  of mediation. (Vygotsky)

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The Tool User

• Available tools
• various systems for counting
• mnemonic techniques
• algebraic symbol systems
• works of art
• writing
• schemes, diagrams, maps, and technical drawings
• all sorts of conventional signs
• language itself
• (Vygotsky)

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Vygotskys Ideas

• Internalization
• The absorption of knowledge from context (outside
  in)
• As opposed to Piagets theory of cognitive
  development, which is based on biological
  research, and emphasizes inside out maturation
• Social influences are key much of learning
  occurs through the interaction with the
  environment

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Vygotskys Ideas

• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
• Range of potential between a childs observable
  level of realized ability and the childs
  underlying latent capacity
• Difference between performance and competence
• We observe what children can do, based on their
  interactions, heredity and environment

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Vygotskys Ideas

• ZPD (continued)
• But we are most concerned with what they are
  capable of doing if they were freed from the
  confines of their environment
• Impacts testing/assessment
• Vygotsky recommended that we move to a dynamic
  assessment environment, in which the tester
  guides the child to facilitate problem solving

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Vygotskys Ideas

• ZPD (continued)
• Vygotsky called this cognitive scaffolding
• Key to measuring ZPD because this ability
  indicates the extent to which the child can
  expand beyond his/her observable abilities
• A child who can profit from instruction
  potentially can go far (Sternberg)

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Impact on Instructional Technology

• From a personal observation of the literature
• ZPD seems to have been thrown around a great deal
  as the reason to have any type of technology in
  the classroom
• Let children rise to their potential!

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Impact on Instructional Technology

• Possibilities in Education
• Activities that create a context
• specific culture, society and experience
• Activities that provide socialization
• peer interaction
• Activities that provide expert interaction
• guiding, monitoring and scaffolding
• Activities that help students reach their ZPD
• potential competence

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Impact on Instructional Technology

• Questions in Education
• Can we replace the expert with a computer
  and/or expert system?
• Can a computer and/or expert system accurately
  identify and correctly target instruction
  (scaffolding) so a child can reach their ZPD?
• Will a computer program and/or expert system
  provide the socialization required by Vygotsky?

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References/Resources

• Massey University Virtual Faculty
• http//www.massey.ac.nz/alock/virtual/project2.ht
  m
• Maintained by A.J. Lock, Dept. of Psychology,
  Massey University, New Zealand. Includes a
  bibliography and resources on Vygotsky. Dated
  materials.
• Ingenious NMSI NOF-digitise website
• http//www.ingenious.org.uk/
• Maintained by the National Museum of Science
  Industry (UK). Includes a discussion on the
  models of human nature and behavior.

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References/Resources

• Cognitive Psychology
• By Robert J Sternberg, 2003. Belmont, CA
  Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
• Undergraduate/graduate textbook on cognitive
  psychology. Sternberg is a Professor of
  Psychology at Yale.
• Encyclopedia of Educational Technology
• http//coe.sdsu.edu/eet/
• Edited by Bob Hoffman, San Diego State
  University. A wealth of information on Cognitive
  Learning and ADDIE.

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References/Resources

• The Vygotsky Internet Archive
• http//www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/index.htm
  
• Maintained by the Marxists Internet Archive, a
  volunteer based non-profit organisation, with the
  purpose of educating people around the world
  about Marxism. Includes a Vygotsky biography and
  transcriptions/translations of selected works.
• emTechs Learnings Theories
• http//www.emtech.net/learning_theories.htm
• Compiled by Drs. George E. Marsh II, Anna C.
  McFadden and Barrie Jo Price. Resources and
  articles on Vygotsky, as well as other learning
  theorists.

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Vygotsky and Instructional Technology

• Kevin E Kalinowski
• University of North Texas
• March 2, 2005