Case Study: Cognitive Development - Vygotsky

Introduction

v Vygotsky is almost as equally famous as a learning theorist as Piaget. His zone of proximal development and scaffolding are found in probably every modern psychology textbook. But was he right? Do our students actually develop their thinking in the way that Vygotsky theorizes?

v In this assignment, you will be asked to describe your case study’s cognitive development (thinking) according to Vygotsky and defend a teaching strategy appropriate for that development.

A model answer for this assignment is located in step 3.

Instructions

Click here if you don’t want to read the instructions

Step 1: Describe your case study’s current cognitive development according to Vygotsky

· Review the resources below to provide you with the research that will help you describe your case study’s current cognitive development according to Vygotsky. You should only review the resources that pertain to your case study. You are welcome to use your own resources via other text, internet, etc., as long as you provide valid citations of where you got your answer. If you find a great site or resource, please let your instructor and your fellow students know by emailing everyone in the class.

Read the Woolfolk Text

12^th Edition

· Read Text: p. 55- 63 - Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Perspective
11^th Edition

· Read Text: p. 42-48 – Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Perspective

Surf the Internet

· Videos/Mutlimedia

· Video on Vygotsky’s Developmental Theory: An Introduction

§ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx84h-i3w8U

§

Interview Your Case Study

o Personal Interview

§ Does your case study involve any self-talk (private speech)?

§ Does your case study using any cultural tools to learn information?

§ Does your case study like to be lead by a more capable learner or learn completely on his/her own?

Step 2: Describe a teaching strategy that will support your case study’s current cognitive development according to Vygotsky. Defend your answer on why you think it will work.

· To get you started in choosing and defending your teaching strategy, consider the following questions as a guide for your thinking, but you don’t have to address all of them. Please feel free to come up with your own approaches to help defend your teaching strategy.

o How does your teaching strategy in your lesson…

§ support co-construction of learning through scaffolding and/or cultural tools?

§ support students’ zone of proximal development?

§ develop students private speech, especially collective monologue in young children?

· Review the resources below to provide you with the research that will help you describe and defend a teaching strategy that will support your case study’s current cognitive development according to Vygotsky. You are welcome to use your own resources via other text, internet, etc., as long as you provide valid citations of where you got your answer.

· Teaching Strategies

· 12^th Edition

§ Read Text: p. 62 – Vygotsky: What Can We Learn?

§ Read Text: p. 63 - Table 2.5: Assisted Learning: Strategies to Scaffold Complex Learning

§ Read Text: p. 63 – 64- Applying Vygotsky’s Ideas in Teaching

· 11^th Edition

§ Read Text: p. 50-52 – Vygotsky: What Can We Learn?

§ Read Text: p. 51 – Table 2.3: Assisted Learning: Strategies to Scaffold Complex Learning

§ Read Text: p. 52 – Guidelines: Applying Vygotsky’s Ideas to Teaching

§ Read Text: p. 59 - Convergences

Step 3: Present and communicate your answers for step 1 and 2 electronically and place in your case study.

· Although a majority of you will describe and defend students’ current cognitive development according to Vygotsky and teaching strategy by writing a paragraph, there may be a few of you that may want to use other alternative media, and I want to support that and give you options to be creative. You may also use a combination of media to make your point. For example, you may combine some writing, with images, podcast, YouTube Video, PowerPoint, etc., to defend your teaching strategy.

· Keep in mind that any presentation method is valid as long as it clearly communicates and supports your answer. My only criteria for the type of media used is that the media is electronic and can be placed or linked successfully into your case study.

1) For example, what if you could defend the Vygotsky teaching strategy by showing a video clip of a teacher employing scaffolding techniques in a heterogeneous group.

· After you have completed your answer for step 1 and 2, then place it in your case study. Place a heading above your answer – Teaching Strategies: Development – Cognitive - Vygotsky. Remember that you are going to combine all the sections into one case study at the end, so please keep this section in a safe place until then. I would suggest even sending an email to yourself with this section attached to ensure that you don’t lose your work.

---

· Below are some example(s) of what this section of the assignment might look like.

1) Case Study: Cognitive Development – Vygotsky Example 1 (Jeff)

· Remember you can see an overall example of the case study assignment on the first page of the assignment.