Vygotsky is one of the most influential psychologists whose ideas and concepts continue to be relevant today. For instance, the scaffolding theory proposed by Vygotsky states that learners can gain a better understanding of educational content if they are assisted by a more knowledgeable educator (Rathus, 2021). By providing material in small parts, the learner manages to quickly acquire new knowledge. One example of scaffolding is the breaking of a difficult algebra problem into several parts. The educator can divide the problem into several mini-lessons and thus gradually build a better understanding of the task and its solution in students. After each mini-lesson, the educator can check whether the learner has managed to understand the required concepts. Such a method is more consistent with the structured lesson plan since the educator continuously provides the learner with directions and guidance. The teacher’s disposition plays a major role in the learner’s success because the willingness of the educator to explain the problem to the student is directly linked with their ability to understand it.
Another notable idea of Vygotsky was the cultural tools theory. Specifically, Vygotsky believed that cultural elements, both real and symbolic, play a major role in the cognitive development of people (Rathus, 2021). Such tools are all elements which are inherent to an individual’s culture, including words, books, and even traditions. Vygotsky was confident that such tools supported thinking and facilitated mental processes, including reasoning and problem-solving. One of the scenarios of the theory’s application in an early childhood classroom setting is the use of an interactive hundreds chart. Such a chart may have a special mechanism which plays an audio recording of the name of each digit when it is touched by the child. Such a scenario is naturalistic because the child is free to explore the chart themselves. Moreover, the disposition of the teacher does not play any role as long as they do not interfere in the child’s activity.
Reference
Rathus, S. (2021). Childhood and adolescence: Voyages in development (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.