Educational psychologyLesson 3 of 3 in the course Constructivism and social learning

Vygotsky’s Cultural-Historical Theory: Mediation, Learning, and Language

5 flashcards · 4 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces Lev Vygotsky’s life and the historical context in which he developed his influential ideas about psychology, learning, and child development.

Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky was born in 1896 in Orsha, then part of the Russian Empire and now in Belarus. He grew up in Gomel in a middle-class Jewish family. Initially educated at home, he later attended a private Jewish gymnasium and graduated with distinction.

All flashcards

Mediation
Using cultural tools and signs to organize activity and connect with the world.
Internalization
The transformation of socially experienced practices into individual psychological functioning.
Appropriation
Taking up a cultural tool or practice and adapting it for personal purposes.
Scaffolding
Adjustable assistance that helps a learner perform beyond their current independent ability.
Reciprocal teaching
An open dialogue in which learner and instructor exchange ideas.

Quiz questions

  1. In Vygotsky’s account, how do higher psychological functions commonly develop?Answer: They begin in social activity and may later become individual functions.
  2. Why did Vygotsky consider play important for children’s development?Answer: It lets children practice roles, rules, symbolic activity, and self-regulation.
  3. When was Vygotsky’s book *Thinking and Speech* published?Answer: It was published posthumously in 1934.
  4. What does the zone of proximal development describe?Answer: The range between what a learner can do independently and with assistance.

Based on the Wikipedia article Lev Vygotsky, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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