Early Childhood Theorists & Theories
Lev Vygotsky: Social Development Theory
Shannon Reardon
Rasmussen College
This research paper is being submitted on January 25th, 2015, for EC100/EEC1700 Section 09 Foundations of Child Development
As an early childhood professional, there are many developmental theorists that I have identified with over the last few years. One theorist that I feel I have related to most recently in my career is Lev Vygotsky. Lev Vygotsky was a Russian teacher and psychologist who developed extensive research and theories into the field of cognitive development. His theory of Social Development has become one of the most important theories of child development and is still used by many professionals in the field today. The Social Development Theory is described as the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition and the significant role that community plays (McLeod, 2007). According to Vygotsky, social interaction, dialogue between children and the More Knowledgeable Others of society, is necessary for children to acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that make up a community’s culture (Vygotsky, 1978). In the next 3 paragraphs I will discuss the reasons why I relate to Lev Vygotsky’s theories the most. The first reason is the theory that the More Knowledgeable Other has a significant impact on a child’s cognitive development through support and guidance, secondly is the role that culture, society and a child’s environment play on their overall development and lastly is the impact that imaginative play has on a child’s development and interactions with the world around them. The first idea I relate to is The More Knowledgeable Other and the impact that that persons support and guidance has on a child’s overall development. The More Knowledgeable Other refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or concept (Vygotsky, 1978) The More
Shannon Reardon
Rasmussen College
This research paper is being submitted on January 25th, 2015, for EC100/EEC1700 Section 09 Foundations of Child Development
As an early childhood professional, there are many developmental theorists that I have identified with over the last few years. One theorist that I feel I have related to most recently in my career is Lev Vygotsky. Lev Vygotsky was a Russian teacher and psychologist who developed extensive research and theories into the field of cognitive development. His theory of Social Development has become one of the most important theories of child development and is still used by many professionals in the field today. The Social Development Theory is described as the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition and the significant role that community plays (McLeod, 2007). According to Vygotsky, social interaction, dialogue between children and the More Knowledgeable Others of society, is necessary for children to acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that make up a community’s culture (Vygotsky, 1978). In the next 3 paragraphs I will discuss the reasons why I relate to Lev Vygotsky’s theories the most. The first reason is the theory that the More Knowledgeable Other has a significant impact on a child’s cognitive development through support and guidance, secondly is the role that culture, society and a child’s environment play on their overall development and lastly is the impact that imaginative play has on a child’s development and interactions with the world around them. The first idea I relate to is The More Knowledgeable Other and the impact that that persons support and guidance has on a child’s overall development. The More Knowledgeable Other refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or concept (Vygotsky, 1978) The More
References: McLeod, S. (2007, January 1). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind and Society. In Interaction between Learning and Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Berk, L., & Shanker, S. (2006). Child Development (2nd Cdn. Ed.). Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada Inc.