Socio-Cultural Perspective, post by Helen

Portfolio Focus: What are factors of learning in a socio-cultural perspective?
Topic: Discuss your self-contract: socio-cultural influences, personality type and multi-intelligences

Chapter 11 and P.S. Mamchur Chapter 16 B & S

Bear with me – the first paragraph is a repeat from my previous blog. 

   One principle of Vygotsky’s Social Development theory is the acquisition of language.  Children show their understanding through many symbolic languages including drawing, sculpture, dramatic play and writing.  When they interact in pretend play with each other, they develop complex narratives.  “They begin to link object, actions, and language together in combinations and narrative sequences.” (4)  Vygotsky explores the language exchange with each other and inner speech; during play, children will nurture both.  Vygotsky believed that language develops from social interactions, for communication purposes. Later language ability becomes internalised as thought and “inner speech”.  Vygotsky sees "private speech" as a means for children to plan activities and strategies and therefore aid their development.  Language is therefore an accelerator to thinking and understanding.

Dr. Margaret Brooks, has a deep interest in the use of drawing in children’s learning from a Vygotskyan socio-cultural perspective.  Dr. Brooks kept a journal of a particular kindergarten student’s various drawings of her observations of the growth stages of a caterpillar.  The child, along with the other students, drew five pictures over a time period that showed the changes of the caterpillar.  She would discuss her drawings along with her peers at the round table and obtained their suggestions and ideas regarding the stage of the caterpillar’s life.  Within this context, the girl creates, “A temporarily shared social world, a state of intersubjectivity.” (9)  As a result, she adapts and changes some of her original thinking and ideas to accommodate new ones.

My own self-contract is under construction; it is evolving through all my 404 class.  I am influenced by David Orr (the naturalist perspective) Nancy Green (being wide-awake), Donald Schon (reflection-in-action), and most recently by Dr. Mahmoud whose thesis is that an educated person is someone who inquires and asks questions across all domains. 

My wild-card paper coincided the different personality learning types to multiple intelligences, using school gardening as the vehicle.  Here is a small excerpt: 

The Feeling Learner

     Carolyn Mamchur, “Cognitive Type Theory & Learning Style,” identifies the “Feeling Learner,” as someone who seeks, “...a personal and harmonious relationship with the environment.”  (Mamchur, 1996, p. 41).

     Gardening can be deeply personal as each child prepares the right conditions for their seeds or starter plants, but they must work cohesively as a group.  This statement supports Mamchur’s Feeling Learner; this is a sensitive person who enjoys working in relationships and creating harmony within those relationships; there is also a connection to Gardner’s “Interpersonal Intelligence,” which fosters this relationship building.  A garden is a pleasant place to be in; it is calming and requires nurturing and care.

The Thinking Learner

     Mamchur describes the “Thinking Learner,” as a person who, “Always wants truth, fairness, and an equal chance to meet expectations to be available to all students.” (Mamchur, 1996, p. 37).  A school garden offers these opportunities:  each child gets the same resources and the same chance that their plant will grow; if it doesn’t thrive, the teacher may require a back-up plan.  One solution would be to have the students plant numerous seeds or seedlings, so to eliminate the individual ownership.  The Thinking Learner may be interested in researching what conditions might be most favourable for success, e.g. soil type and acidity, fertilizer requirements, composting, worms.  Gardner’s “Logical-Mathematical Intelligence,” supports this level of reasoning and calculating.

My own personality type is one of inner conflict:  my stern disciplined European upbringing is challenged by an untapped desire to be artistic.  How I envy those who are musical; I cannot sing a note, read a note, or even play the poor recorder despite having the music teacher throw pencils at me.  But I can appreciate James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Andrew Lloyd Webber.  I am grew up listening to Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Wagner and often do my homework listening to any one of these composers.   I hope I can offer some diversity and differentiation to my curriculum by understanding Gardner’s multiple intelligences and not fall back onto my experiences of rote, drills, independent worksheets and study.