Socio-cultural perspective

Vygotsky's theory of a socio-cultural perspective suggests that it is through social interaction that children develop their values, beliefs, and behaviours. I strongly agree with Vygotsky that it is a child's environment and their interactions with others that shapes much of who they become as individuals. It is because of this social aspect to development that we see different attitudes and learning styles in children of different cultures. An example of this can be found in the book Guiding Children's Social Development and Learning (2012) by Kostelnik, Gregory, Soderman, and Whiren. In their work they examine some of the differences that can be found between different cultures in regards to what a socially competant child looks like. There are many shared charactieristics of social competency between these cultures, such as generosity and kindness, but there are also some differences. For example Kostelnik et al. (2012) point out that while in Canada and the United States it is considered a matter of social competency to be outgoing and assertive, in Chinese culture a child is socially competent if they are shy. This fact shows great support for Vygotsky's theory and also has implications for lesson planning and teaching.

Vygotsky's theory can influence lesson planning in regards to the Gardner's idea of multiple intelligences. Individuals learn in very different ways. Some learn through literary methods, others through art, or music to name just a few. A student's attitudes and actions will be affected by the environment and interactions in which they develop, but so will they're learning style. The socio-cultural aspects of child development also influence the learning styles of children and this is of special significance to teaching in a Canadian classroom because of the great many cultures represented in Canadian schools. A multi-cultural classroom will increase the number of learning intelligences present. Although culture is not necessarily a deciding factor in the learning style that an individual will prefer it is an influencing factor. In order to teach in any classroom, but especially classrooms in a multi-cultural society, a teacher must understand the influence that culture and social interaction has on child development and in turn how that affects the learning styles that children will prefer.