Socio-Cultural Learning

Vygotsky’s Socio-cultural theory involves the fact that children learn better when they interact with others, and can “accomplish a task that [they] cannot do alone, with help from a more skilled person” (Gallagher, 1999); Vygotsky’s theory is known as the “Zone of Proximal Development,” which I think is necessary for young students in particular. The support students get does not have only be from older adults, their classmates can help them as well, when required. I have noticed this continuously in every classroom that I have volunteered in, where students will ask their classmates if they need help once they are finished their own work; this way, students are able to work together and learn to get help from peers—instead of feeling embarrassed about it. I would definitely try to create a classroom environment where students would feel free to ask for help from peers who are finished earlier, as sometimes students can be afraid to because they think they will be put down. When students see the support and help they get, they will begin to develop in their learning abilities and be motivated to learn more.

My self-contract is about trying to integrate the different styles and types of learners in my lesson plan. Reading Gardner’s listed Multiple Intelligences made me realize what these styles mean, and what I can do to help the students. According to the personality type test, I am an extrovert, which surprised me, so I would need to think about and provide more resources to students who would require it. Learning about the types helps me to understand why some students would not understand the concepts well, and how I can make lessons better for those students who have preferred learning styles. Reading Rita’s post on how trying different ways to introduce lessons would also make lessons fun for students, reminds me of something I am discussing in my Educational Psychology class; there is a discussion on whether making lessons fun would actually motivate students to learn more and actively participate in lessons. I believe this would be the same for students with particular learning styles, where someone like an interpersonal learner would probably find learning easier if there was a fun activity involved. The students would struggle less, and enjoy the lesson as long as they get something out of it.