An important part of learning is to develop new skills that can help us solve problems and become active participating members of society that are capable of sharing ideas and invoking positive change in the world. Lev Vygotsky’s theoretical perspective of learning and cognitive development pays close attention to the social perspective of developing new skills. Vygotsky suggests that learning from more competent individuals is an essential part of cognitive development. So, how can we apply Vygotsky’s theory to our own experiences?

Time for a Story

I would like to share with you a time in which an adult taught me a new skill…

The day that I first got my learner’s license, as soon as my Dad and I walked out of the government office we began a teaching process that would last for the next year until I turned sixteen and could take my Driver’s License exam. We began this journey by him covering some ground rules and responsibilities that accompany driving, such as: appreciating and respecting the freedom driving will give me, responsibility for the cost of vehicle maintenance, and that any tickets I got in the process would be my full responsibility to pay (of course). He then began driving around the city and explaining what he was doing as he did. He described why he turned his signal light on at that time, which vehicle had the right of way, how he decides if it is safe to change lanes, and other things. After a while, my Dad pulled over in a low traffic area and asked me to drive us home from there. On the way home, he gave me direction on when to start slowing down, when to signal and other suggestions. When I did something incorrectly, he would explain how it should be done properly and how to improve for the next time that situation arose. From that point on, any chance that there was to drive my parents ensured I drove, even if it was a short five minute drive. As the year passed, my parents began to give me less and less instruction when we drove together until it was time for me to take my driver’s exam.

Connections to Vygotsky’s Theory

McDevitt and Ormrod’s Child Development and Education explains the principles of Vygotsky’s theory of learning and cognitive development. Two of the principles discussed are the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Scaffolding.

Zone of Proximal Development

McDevitt and Ormrod (2014) define the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as a “Range of tasks that one cannot yet perform independently, but can perform with the help and guidance of others,” (p. 237).

How was my ZPD influenced when learning to drive?

When I first began driving, the gap between the tasks that I could accomplish independently and the tasks that I needed considerable assistance with was very large. In the beginning, my Dad needed to provide a considerable amount of assistance and supervision. However, as I began to learn more and became more experienced, my Dad was able to decrease the level of support he was giving me. Meaning that my ZPD was beginning to shrink as I learned more about driving.

Scaffolding

Vygotsky’s theory discusses Scaffolding skills that can be used to help teach children.

McDevitt & Ormrod (2014) define Scaffolding as a “Support mechanism, provided by a more competent individual, that helps a child successfully perform a task within their zone of proximal development,” (p. 241).

What Scaffolding skills did my parents use when teaching me to drive?

1. They demonstrated the proper performance of the task whenever they drove.
2. They divided the complex task into smaller tasks by breaking down how to shoulder check, change lanes or merge into traffic.
3. They gave frequent feedback on how I was driving and how to improve my driving.

What other strategies could my parents have used to support my learning?

1. They could have asked questions about what to do in certain scenarios when driving.
2. They could have initiated a Mediated Learning Experience in which they discussed a scenario that I was struggling with to help me make sense of it.
3. They could have had me role play through scenarios that I would have encountered while driving.

References

McDevitt, T.M., & Ormrod, J.E. (2014). Child development and education. Harlow, U.K.: Pearson. (chapter 7, pages 237-262).