Outcomes of Info Tech Course

1. Understand ways in which ICT can enhance active and collaborative learning
3. Produce effective text and screen-based materials
4. Access and use the Internet as a research tool
5. Understand the diversity of students’ learning styles and the principles of higher order learning (Gardener and Blooms Taxonomy)
6. Create simple web-based teaching resources

Info Tech - What wiki's are about

Wiki's are a collaborative website where the public can submit information to be posted on the wiki. Wiki's are monitored / sensored. The information that ends up on them is assessed for 24hrs (in the case of wikipedia) before being posted. Wiki topics are ordered - much like a book would be. The information is linked to provide easy access to specific topic areas that are relevant to the user. A good wiki will contain many hyperlinks. The beauty of this is that it allows the user to follow their interests and gain access to a greater amount of knowledge in a much shorter space of time.

"Wiki's were designed to be the simplest online data base that could possibly work" Ward Cunningham - creator of the original Wiki program! Legend has it that the name Wiki was inspired by the name of the shuttle bus at the Honolulu Airport. "Wiki" is a Hawaiian word for "quick"!

ED 4134 Item 2 Slide Show

The slide show below is a graphic display of various Board of Studies 'texts' including novelists, playwrights, poets and films.

EXISTENTIAL learners can use this ICT to help them understand the big picture and overall course content. This ICT could be implemented as a good cognitive tool through use as a visual timeline so the student can put the text, film, poem, visual reference etc into an historical, social, cultural context.

VISUAL learners can use this ICT to "see" ideas. They are able to understand / contextualise the content by "seeing it in action". This ICT encourages the student to imaging the possibilies of litarary relationships. The visual display is aesthetically appealing and sympathetic to the student's mode of learning. In the case of the visual learner this ICT could be used as a screen saver on class computers (if available) or alternatively the teacher's computer. This is a step on from putting pictures on the wall of the classroom. Students in schools today are digital natives and as such expect to use ICT. DUe to the fact that digital natives are natural multi-taskers it stands to reason that the more stimulus we, as teachers, can supply the more information has the potential to be internalised.

LOGICAL learners will find this ICT a useful way of presenting course content. As an alternative to the timeline, the viusal stimuli could be arranged to visually display the order in which the 'texts' are to be studied. THe slideshow would therefore become a constant visual reminder to the students about where they've come from, where they are and where they're heading in the course.

Howard Gardner reiterates the importance of recognising and supporting different learning styles with ICT. He also states theat schools often focus on the logical and mathematical learner - perhaps a result of the 'sage on the stage' teaching method coupled with time restraints. In the past it has been assumed that students would learn by building on previous information and progressing in a linear fashion. Hattie and Vygotsky recognise the existance of more convergent forms of learning and place an emphsis on collective and social learning - a move away from the 'sage on the stage' routine. One of the great benefits of ICT is its ability to be interactive and fluid.

The possibilities of this ICT range from it being a stagnant display, its purpose dictated by the teacher (and in this sense it would sit on the knowledge level of the Bloom's Taxonomy heirarchy) to an online resource that can be manipulated by the students. It could be used as a social, historical, litarary timeline, or a course structure timeline or alternatively a front page for notes on each 'text' (Naturalist learners might prefer to manipulate it in this way).

To use this ICT to further the students comprehension in relation to Bloom's Taxonomy the slideshow could develop the student's comprehension of where these texts fit into an historical context. It could also be used as part of the student's analysis of an idea; for example the timeline might be used to explain Charles Dickens statement on class in Great Expectations in relation to other writers of his time.

This ICT could also support social learning as per Vygotsky. The images could be the beginning of a collaborative blog, to be used at the end of each unit for group presentations; for example; students could work in groups and present to the class using the blog to save, collate and share information. In this way students are active in the learning process and the collection of resouces. This develops self efficacy and opens up this ICT to support other learning styles.

Resources:

Blooms Taxonomy http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

Gardner Multiple Intelligences http://surfaquarium.com/MI/

Hattie, J (2005) What is the Nature of Evidence that makes a Difference to Learning? www.acer.edu.au/workshop/documents/HattieSlides.pdf

Prensky, M (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Vygotsky Social Learning Theory http://chd.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/theorists/constructivism/vygotsky.htm

ED 4134 Item 2 Sound File

Mr President is a modern day anti war ballard. This stimulus can be used in the English classroom to compare the social messages and descriptions of authority to that of more Classic texts such as Chauser's Cantebury Tales. It couls also be used as support material when we study war poets.

This ICT appeals to the KINESTHETIC learner because of the sensory interaction. It would also appeal to the RHYTHMIC learner. The ICT is a good cognitive tool in relation to these two learning styles becasue both learners respond positively to sound. The patterns help the student to internalise skills, concepts and ideas. Auditory stimulus can be used in conjunction with almost any form of learning and is not limited to music. Auditory ICT could prove particuarly helpful to students with learning disabilities such as dylexia; written tasks, exam etc. could all be accompanied by a sound file, helping the students to avoid mistakes and encourage self efficacy in accordance with Vygotsky. Creating a diverse learning environment where collation of ICT becomes the social norm will potentially increase the learning potential of students.

The auditory ICT appeals to LINGUISTIC learners who appreciate the subtleties of grammar and meaning. Students are better able to internalise information through lecture (perhaps the teacher could record a pod cast of specific ideas or lessons) and discussion, learn new vocabulary and could even include the ICT in class drama productions. This ICT could be implemented as an effective cognitive tool through getting each student in the class to record one line of a ballard or spoken poem written collectively by the class. If used for this purpose the ICT would incorporate the inter and intrapersonal learner groups and invoke V ygotsky's zone of proximal development theory because those students who are not strong linguistically, kinesthetically and or rhythmically could learn from those students who are.

John Hattie's concept of "active learning" will also be put into effect, as it is anytime the student is required to create something. Bloom's Taxonomy will be implemented up to the level of synthesis assuming a poetic or rhythmic structure is maintained in the creation of the student sound file. This learning could be elevated to the final and highest stage - evaluation - by getting the students to judge, discuss and polish the final product. It is generally assumed that the two higher order stages of Bloom's Taxonomy - synthesis and evaluation - are not expected until senior years however, I see no reason against attempting to implement this ICT in younger years - obviously dependent upon collective class ability.

References:

Blooms Taxonomy http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

Gardner Multiple Intelligences http://surfaquarium.com/MI/

Hattie, J (2005). What is the Nature of Evidence that makes a Difference to Learning? www.acer.edu.au/workshops/documents/HattieSlides.pdf

Prensky, M (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Vygotsky Social Development Theory http://chd.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/theorists/constructivism/vygotsky.htm

www.sonific.com

ED 4134 Item 2 A Video Clip

The film Billy Elliot was directed by Stephen Daldry and is rated M. It is to be used in the Standard HSC English course and is part of the Texts and Society module in accordance with the NSW Board of Studies.

Overview: Billy Elliot realistically presents Billy's growth as he struggles to find his place in the world and acceptance from his family and the community. The story challenges viewer's attitudes towards issues such as gender sterotying and class.

The above ICT aids the VISUAL learner because it stimulates their primary mode of learning allowing them to "see" a concept in action for example, the issues surrounding a typical Northern Irish mining community in the 1960's. The film media accomodates the learner's imagination allowing them scope to explore multiple possibilities (in this case the focus would be on the various life transitions of the characters and setting). The ICT of film also allows the visual learner to use mental images as a mnemonic device. Use of this ICT potentially increases recall, helps the learner to use the content appropriately and to effectively address issues raised in the film.

EXISTENTIAL learners require a big picture perspective as they seek to make connections accross the curriculum. A discussion about the context of the film, for example the era in which Billy Elliot was set, might prove useful to the existential learner when contextualising knowledge in a history subject. This is particularly relevent to Vygotsky's zone of proximal development. The existential learner synthesises ideas through previously constructed knowledge as well as a sharing and discussion of that knowledge. Similarly to the INTERPERSONAL and INTRAPERSONAL learner, existential learners often need to feel as though they are a part of something bigger.

INTERPERSONAL and INTRAPERSONAL learners acquire understanding of the issues in the film this helps the learner to develop social empathy including an awareness and concern for others as well as skills for relating to peers and adults. Vygotsky emphasises the importance and value that social interaction has on cognitive and emotional development. In order to make a judgement on the issues in the film the students must first examine their personal morals, values, attitudes and feelings. In this sense the ICT of film supports both inter and intrapersonal learners. The ICT of film gives the student access to a form of expression that differs from literature. It offers some variety of media and a basis of comparison between what a film is capable of portraying that a book cannot and vica-versa. A class discussion on this could lead to students sharing and contrasting their own experiences to situations and/or settings that characters in the film find themselves in.

RHYTHMIC learner stimulates their primary mode of learning. Rhythmic learners are particularly drawn to sound and respond to cadence in language as well as music. They enjoy moving to rhythms. With all this in mind the ICT of film and more specifically Billy Elliot is an obvious choice for the learning style of these students. The music and movement in the film will help these students associate strongly with the issues in the film. They will be better equiped to internalise and recall concepts. It is important to note here that the use of this specific ICT (Billy Elliot) might prove more beneficial for this particular learning style than a less rhythmically inclined film. However, for our purposes, the ICT supports the style of the rhythmic learner.

LINGUISTIC learner this type of learner would benefit from film, specifically Billy Elliot, because they exhibit a keen appreciation of the context of language. The "Irish speak" is lyrical and incompasses sayings that may not be familiar to the student thus appealing to their learning orientation.

Hattie emphsises the role that the teacher plays in students learning - clearly an important and substantiated topic as we heard in the news this week - effective teachers are reportedly able to cover material twice as fast and effectively. Thus the way the teacher chooses to implement the lesson is important - as this ICT caters for the highest number of learning styles it is clearly an effective cognitive tool. Exploitation of this ICT means it is possible to reach the evaluation stage of Blooms Taxonomy although it is more likely to invoke a synthesis / analysis level of learning.

Resources:

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/annotations_texts_04_07.doc.
http://hsc.csu.edu.au/english/standard/texts_and_society/world/3244/billy_elliot.html#consider

Blooms Taxonomy http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

Gardner Multiple Intelligences http://surfaquarium.com/MI/

Hattie, J (2005). What is the Nature of Evidence that makes a Difference to learning? www.acer.edu.au/workshops/documents/HattieSlides.pdf

Vygotsky http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/step/ep301/Spr2000/Jenna-B/zpd.html

ED 4134 Item 2 Online Game

I found a lot of websites that delt with learning the English language (ESL) rather than teaching the NSW curriculum. Some of these would be suited to junior years and students who need help with grammar, spelling, tense and punctuation. On the whole these English Language games cater for the kinesthetic, interpersonal, logical, linguistic, visual and sometimes rhythmic learners. Both the BBC website and puzzlemaker can be manipulated by the teacher to include learning material relevent to their classes.

http://www.englishpage.com/games/nouns.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/
www.puzzlemaker.com

Although these games are fun, educationally they are limited. The best game I discovered for secondary English students was a webquest relating to Lord of the Flies - a good game to get the students into the mindset of the characters and do a bit of psychological exploration.

http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/lhs/teach/webq/lmasterjohnlord/

Cognitive learning requires students to internalise sensory information therefore kinesthetic learners would most probably benefit most from this interactive process, however, doing is beneficial to all types of learners. This webquest requires students to work in groups thus developing intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.

Vygotsky's zone of proximal development is put to the test when students are required to use specific ICT's that may or may not suit their learning style. In this webquest students must create / invent and sell an idea thus engaging with Blooms synthesis level.

The way a teacher uses resources (or often improvises with a lack of them) effects the students ability to learn, according to Hattie. A good teacher would form groups of students all of whom learn differently and design a webquest that catered for the different learning styles; thus encouraging them to play to their strengths, use their talents and also learn from and engage with their peers.

References:
Game 1 http://www.englishpage.com/games/nouns.htm
Game 2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/
Game 3 www.puzzlemaker.com
Lord of the Flies Webquest http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/lhs/teach/webq/lmasterjohnlord/

Blooms Taxonomy http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm
Gardner Multiple Intelligences http://surfaquarium.com/MI/index.htm
Hattie, J (2005) What is the Nature of Evidence that makes a Difference in Learning? www.acer.edu.au/workshops/documents/HattieSlides.pdf
Vygotsky Zone of Proximal Development http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/step/ep301/Spr2000/Jenna-B/zpd.html

ED 4134 Item 2 Graphic Organiser

Before analysing the learning advantages of the ICT (graphic organiser) I'd like to point out the following because I've only just figured this out and am now in a great debate as to the benefits / disadvantages of blogs versus wiki's!! Unlike wikis, blogs do not allow a user / viewer to access external programs so in effect what you see is what you get. Within the scope of a blog, graphic organisers such as Inspiration 8 are limited. However stagnant graphic organisers are beneficial to the visual, naturalist and logical learner as they can be manipulated to stress hierarchical patterns, commonalities and differences of information. A good range of examples and comparisons of graphic organisers can be found at http://www.graphic.org/goindex.html

Use of the Inspiration 8 program outside of a blog is appealing (in addition to the above) to the existential and kinesthetic learner. According to Petty, the interaction element - physically having to explore the page, open hyperlinks and expand the ideas by reading the 'post its' behind the main label all help the student internalise the information being presented.

Inspiration 8 allows the student to follow ideas / concepts at their own pace and in a way that makes the most sense to them. Vygotsky understood that people are greatly influenced by their environment therefore the learning of the digital native is reinforced through use of ICT. Hattie is quoted as saying "it is what students bring to the table that predicts achievement more than any other variable". It therefore makes sense to use ICT when teaching because it is a medium that the students are apt in and engage positively with. Potentially use of ICT could raise the level of achievement. Interpersonal and intrapersonal learning is therefore accommodated by use of this ICT.

The way this ICT is used effects is ability to be an effective learning tool. Where teachers readily display information on graphic organisers which are THEN used by students Bloom's Taxonomy is being implemented only to the point of knowledge, possibly comparison. When the student uses the graphic organiser to collate and link information in a way that personally make sense to them the application / analysis stage is being implemented.

References:

Blooms Taxonomy http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

Gardner Multiple Intelligences http://surfaquarium.com/MI/index.htm

Hattie, J. (2005). What is the Nature of Evidence That Makes a Difference to Learning? www.acer.edu.au/workshops/documents/HattieSlides.pdf

Petty, G. (2004) What the Learner does is more important than what the teacher does. www.geoffpetty.com/research.html

Vygotsky Social Development Thoery http://tip.psychology.org/vygotsky.html

Inspiration 8

Multiple Intelligences in the ICT Environment

How do we manage multiple intelligences in the ICT environment?

AIM: To answer this question as a collaborative group using the links below...

Explore e-learning This is a catalogue of resources for Teaching Maths and Science in Secondary schools http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspResourceCatalog
This is a site that provides a wide range of activities based on Gardner's multiple intelligences (fantastic site!) http://surfaquarium.com/mi/intelligences.htm

This site provides a number of very useful sites in relation to Gardener's MI with ideas for the classroom and the use of ICThttp://hometown.aol.com/abctagteam/multiple_intelligences.htm

Applying Bloom's Taxonomy in the classroomThis gives you concrete leads....but how do you use it in the ICT environment?http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

There are a number of different sites that link you into research on e-learning and current trends. This site won't provide you with an immediate answer but it will help you begin collaborating with those who are researching in this field.http://www.ncsl.org.uk/networked/index.cfm

Constructivist learning theory...don't forget that you are basing all this work on this theory. This is a good summary for you and not too technical.http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/resources/constructivistlearning.html

This site from Bradford England goes through the various intelligences and gives you possible activities in ICT to use to develop particular intelligences. While it is way beyond our technologies it is good to know because schools are getting these resources. There are also an increasing number of these technologies available as free software.http://www.bradfordschools.net/content/view/226/182

Tools and resources provided by Intel for free to support collaborative student centered learning. Online thinking tools are active learning places where students engage in robust discussions, pursue investigations, analyse complex information and solve problems. Resources for 21st century teaching help teachers play a critical role in facilitating learning activities and posing questions that take student thinking deeper.http://www.intel.com/education/tools/index.htm

ED 4134 Item 1 Hattie

Descriptive Reflection

Professor John Hattie set out to define the attributes that form a quality teacher. He believes that once these attributes are justified (by his own and others research) they can be used to develop and defend high quality teacher education programs. Hattie highlights the fact that in the past unsatisfactory teacher performance and consequently student performance, has often been dealt with by means of a reorganisation of systems already in play, he gives the example of decreasing class sizes. Hattie distinguishes between expert and experienced teachers by describing how expert teachers stimulate deep learning, as opposed to surface learning, in their students. Expert teachers differ from experienced teachers in three main areas – the way they represent their classrooms, the degree of challenges they present to students and the depth of processing that their students attain (Hattie, 2003).

Critical Reflection

Hattie is a breath of fresh air among the many psychological theories being battered around. After proposing the development of teacher training programs with the view to a renewal of focus on the success of our teachers to make a difference it is refreshing to note his effort in obtaining a broad range of data to defend the program. Hattie’s research seems to take from many of the psychological models and combine them into a practical, scientifically supported approach to learning. Hattie is not a psychologist and this is evident from his lack of wanting to push either an obvious cognitive or social framework of learning. However, although the article focus is on teachers and Hattie justifies the teacher as being the next major influence on student learning, I would like to know more about his opinions on peer learning and whether he places any value on it.

References

Hattie, J (2003). Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence?
Retrieved on March 28; 2007, from
http://tonymcarthur.edublogs.org/files/2007/02/hattie_teachers_make_a_difference.pdf

http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/staff/j.hattie/

ED 4234 Item 1 Glasser

Descriptive Reflection

Behavioural psychotherapist William Glasser developed a model of behavioural therapy he renamed Choice Theory in 1998. Choice Theory was originally designed for use by anyone who worked in a social profession. More recently Glasser’s theory has been revamped for specific use in school environments. Choice Theory works on the basis that almost all behaviour is chosen. Glasser argues that when an individual consciously takes responsibility for their chosen behaviour they begin to actively engage with a more positive approach to daily life (Wikipedia, 2007). In his book Control Theroy Glasser argues that we spend too much time on discipline in schools when rather we should be concentrating on effective learning strategies. He suggests that effective education is about “using and improving knowledge” and advocates a policy of open learning in schools. Glasser lists seven caring habits that when utilised by teachers will help produce strong peer and student/teacher relationships and create a constructive learning environment.

Critical Reflection

In theory Glasser’s model of behavioural therapy seems reasonable and even achievable. However, there are issues about the overall effectiveness regarding the actual implementation of his theory. Unless all children are to be schooled in a Glasser quailty school from a very early age the idea of “open learning” risks gaps in their education. Open learning possesses potential time management problems and could lead to an increase in learning diversity ranges within a class. In Critera for a Quality School Glasser proposes that trust and respect eliminate discipline problems, but not incidents. Kids will be kids. Although the concept of encouraging positive attitudes is a good idea it is not realistic to expect all school age children to actively engage with this theory. Glasser also fails to acknowledge external influences and pressures such as individual temperament, hormonal changes in adolescents, economic stresses at home etc.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Glasser

http://wglasser.com/whatisct.htm

http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Glasser,_William

http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Control_theory

http://www.wglasser.com/quality.htm

ED 4134 Item 1 Bruner

Descriptive Reflection

Jerome Bruner’s Constructivist Learning Theory is based on the concept of categorization. Bruner states that a person of any age, even very young children, are capable of understanding any concept provided the instruction is within the realm of their ability to comprehend and perform. This is similar to the concept of domain specific learning. Bruner’s idea of building up specific knowledge is based on Bloom’s Taxonomy .

Bruner requires the following principles for learning; a readiness to learn, an appropriate teaching method that suits the student and an effective sequence in which to present the material if this is successful the end result should be that the student reaches a point where they can go beyond the given information and draw their own conclusions based on their individual knowledge and problem solving ability (Wikipedia, 2007).

Critical Reflection

Like Piaget, Bruner’s ideas are classified as cognitive constructionist theory however Bruner seems to be a bit more in tune with the concept of domain specific learning, as opposed to Piaget who generalised broad stages of development. Bruner’s stages of development in children are based on three representations but these stages are not as rigid as Piaget’s and “translate” into one another. As teacher’s we can take from Bruner the concept that just because a student possesses an advanced understanding in one subject area this does mean this immediately apply to other areas of learning. As facilitators of learning we need to be aware of how best to guide students in making discoveries for themselves.

References

http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.html

http://en.wikapedia.org/wiki/Categorization

http://tap.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/3/353

http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Bruner

ED 4134 Item 1 Piaget

Descriptive Reflection

Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory is concerned with the measurement of children’s cognitive development which he organized into the following four stages;

Sensorimotor Stage (birth to 2yrs)
Preoperational Stage (2yrs-6/7yrs)
Concrete Stage (6/7yrs-11/12yrs)
Formal Operations Stage (11/12-adult)

Piaget comes from a cognitive constructivist school of thought because he believed a child advanced to the next stage once a state of equilibrium had been reached through the self construction of knowledge. He saw children as “independent explorers” who were “active in the problem solving process” (Silverthorn, 1999).

Piaget taught us that children’s reasoning and thought processes differ to adults. After testing Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory across hundreds of cultures it seems he was reasonably accurate in describing the content and sequence of learning. Piaget’s concept of stages has been applied to many other aspects of human development (Sigelman et al, 1995).

Critical Reflection

Piaget made a sweeping claim that broad stages of development exist whereas more recent research suggests that cognitive development is more likely to be domain specific and continuous. Unlike Vygotsky's social constructivist view, Piaget's stage theory suggests an endpoint in development(Sigelman et al, 1995).

Piaget failed to distinguish competence from performance. As Sigelman et al point out “when a subject failed a task Piaget assumed it was because they were unable to grasp the concept he was testing” He did not account for other influencing factors of performance such as motivation, verbal abilities, memory etc. (Sigelman et al, 1995). Piaget often neglected social influences because he was more concerned with identifying cognitive structures that influenced performance.

By critiquing the work of Piaget and Vygotsky we begin to recognise the importance of both cognitive and social develpoment theories and the impact this research has on being able to cater for different learning styles. As teacher’s we can manipulate and mix learning theories to extract the best results from individual students.

References

Sigelman, C. K. & Shaffer, D. R (1995). Life Span Human Development. 2nd Ed. Brooks Cole Publishing. Pacific Grove, California.

Silverthorn, P. (1999). Jean Piaget’s Theory of Development. Retrieved on March 28, 2007 from http://tonymcarthur.edublogs.org/files/2007/03/piaget.htm

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/construct.html

http://tip.psychology.org/piaget.html

http://tap.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/3/353

http://ruccs.rutgers.edu/~chenml/411/Gelman1998.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget

ED 4134 Item 1 Vygotsky

Descriptive Reflection:

Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory is a social constructivist model emphasising the impact of social influences on cognitive development ‘Cognitive growth occurs in a social context and evolves out of the child’s social interactions’ (Siegelman et al, 1995).

He believed learning occurred in what he dubbed the Zone of Proximal Development. This is the area of difference between what a child can accomplish alone and what they can accomplish with the guidance of more mature thinkers (Wikipedia, 2007). Vygotsky argued that children learn more sophisticated cognitive strategies through interaction with more competent individuals. By internalizing advanced problem solving methods the student is building a scaffold.

Vygotsky also had clear views about the importance of how language shaped thought. He described how social speech becomes private speech and later inner speech. Although Vygotsky’s research primarily concentrated on the cognitive development of children, he saw learning as a life long process (Riddle, 1999) .


Critical Reflection:

Interest in Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory is being revived on account of dissatisfaction with the conditioning approach to learning. Prensky’s Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants essay argues that today’s students are ‘hardwired’ differently meaning traditional student / teacher interactions are becoming a less effective method of learning.

Vygotsky’s emphasise on guided learning can be appropriated in a contemporary learning environment where teacher’s are being encouraged to take a more passive role. The concept that children internalise methods of problem solving shown to them by more mature thinkers (be they other students or teachers) who are sensitive to their zone of proximal development becomes apparent through the observation of group work (Sigelman et al, 1995). Although the benefits of this type of interaction are notable and not to be underestimated, in a real classroom situation the time restraints may mean that more direct methods of teaching are sometimes more constructive.

References

Riddle, E. M. (1999). Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory. Retrieved in March 28, 2007, from
http://tonymcarthur.edublogs.org/files/2007/03/vygotsky1.htm

Sigelman, C. K. & Shaffer, D. R (1995). Life Span Human Development. 2nd Ed. Brooks Cole Publishing. Pacific Grove, California.

http://www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/works/1933/play.htm

http://www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/works/words/index.htm

http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Vygpotsky