Vygotsky's Mind in Society

There once was a man named Vygotsky
Whose thoughts were outside of the box-y 
Knowing knowledge will stay
When kids get to play
Away on his horse he did trotsky

Everything about the poem activity above embodies Vygotsky (well, maybe not everything). We collaborated, socialized, and used our independent tools to come up with a product that represents our understanding. Vygotsky believes that the development of processing information is due to understanding the tools that surround us and how to use them in processing the information. That’s a vague overview as he also goes into ZPD and other elements; Vygotsky breaks it down a lot more. I’d like to focus on two smaller topics that Vygotsky presented: language and socializing. 

Language is a tool to communicate and collaborate with others, but it’s also a tool that we can use independently to organize our own thoughts. Vygotsky saw that children’s “speech and action are part of one and the same complex psychological function, directed toward the solution of the problem at hand” (Vygotsky 25). As I read the book, I felt that it focuses on the development of children that I kept wondering how I could apply it to adults. I realized that it’s not for my learner to realize that speech and action are the same; it’s for me, the designer, to purposefully design professional development for employees that would force them to use speech and action together. 

Socializing allows for learners to encourage development in one another. Part of socializing is collaborating to solve a problem. In solving a problem, the learners share their tools and knowledge together and develop their cognitive skills with one another. 

I must admit, Vygotsky’s Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes was a difficult read, but these are the two main things I would take back to my practice. 

Language
Dynamic, Symbolic
Collaborating, abstracting, perceiving
Tool of the culture
Stimulating, developing, responding
Contextual, vital
  Thought

Comments

  1. Caitlin CordovaSeptember 29, 2019 at 3:21 PM

    I chuckled at your Vygotsky limerick and agree that it was a hard read. I have had to learn how to be a learner again; it's very different from application in the classroom. Activities like the Vygotsky poetry and creating Vygotksy's brain helped me to process what we read. Your main points about language and socializing as crucial tools for learning are spot on too; these tools help students move from actual zone to potential zone of development.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michaela IbrahimOctober 3, 2019 at 6:30 AM

      I agree that the activities helped us process the information - and it goes to show that maybe we do need to play and speak to gain a deeper understanding ;)

      Delete
  2. MildredOctober 1, 2019 at 3:51 PM

    Your quote, about speech and action being part of one and the same complex psychological function, struck a chord with me. I teach ESOL students and this part just caught me by surprise how in my students' case may be a more complicated process than I originally imagined. Learning the word the meaning of "hypothesis" for example will require more than translation and giving its definition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michaela IbrahimOctober 3, 2019 at 6:33 AM

      Ahh! I bet as an ESOL teacher you're able to see how speech and action are a complex function that compliment one another in learning. It even goes down to when people speak and gesture with their hands (I'm Middle Eastern, so we do that a lot, haha).

      Delete
  3. AnonymousOctober 1, 2019 at 4:27 PM

    "Part of socializing is collaborating to solve a problem." At any age I feel teaching to socialize and solve problems with others is a great professional development skill. From the first office I worked in to now teaching, I understand the importance of being open minded and working together to solve a problem. Sometimes I feel people might of missed on these training's when I am in meetings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michaela IbrahimOctober 3, 2019 at 6:35 AM

      Haha! Yes - I too sometimes feel people have missed these training's when I'm in the office, but I think it's our job to show them that collaborating is to ultimately solve a problem.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousOctober 3, 2019 at 2:23 PM

      This is Mike BTW

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Sixth Principle

The sixth principle consists of Students as Designers. What I love most about this principle is the skills that it teaches: Structure Process Organization Time management Collaboration ...and the list goes on. In class, we simulated this design principle by designing our own video on the DDLS Principles. While Dawn taught us concepts, we had to go through "designing" a product and implementing those concepts (plus explaining them in our videos, too!). The lesson was structured just enough to guide us, but it wasn't too structured that it limited our creativity. The process of designing isn't just for educators but for learners, too! It fosters creativity and allows learners to truly synthesize and implement what they have learned in a project that takes them outside of the "traditional classroom" format. What I know I will struggle with the most as a designer is having the learners create "meaningful outcomes." When I design, I always ...
Read more

Analyzing Affordance Analysis

Last week, we focused on the fifth design principle: The Means Principle. It is defined as the following: Good learning designs reflect technologies chosen after mindful consideration of the cognitive and societal consequences as well as a clear and appropriate connection with content and learning activities.  The Means Principle goes hand in hand with affordance analysis. In short, affordance analysis is the assessment of how a tool can be used and the purpose of the tool. For example, a hammer is not the proper tool to use to drink water. You could use a cup, ladle (although not very convenient) or jar. All of those tools are options to achieve the goal of drinking water.  My biggest struggle this week is where to start. Do I start with the goal in mind and then look at the tools? Or can the tools provide inspiration towards a goal? It’s like which came first: the chicken or the egg? I’ve definitely guilty of having moments where I looked at a tool and said “this wo...
Read more

From One Generation to the Next

     The App Generation was enlightening to view both the positives and negatives of the use of technology. To an extent, I felt it connected greatly the elements presented in the Information Diet , but it wasn’t solely focused on information consumption; it was more holistic and focused more on the learner’s lifestyle along with the habits of an entire generation.       I work with a wide range of ages; my learners range from Gen Y, Gen X, and Gen Z. Therefore, the way they interact with technology is different; it’s not about their ability to interact with technology, but rather it’s about their views on technology mixed with their culture.      Here’s a quick example: my mom boils eggs on the stove with water whereas I use an egg maker to boil my eggs while taking a shower and getting ready in the morning. We have two different habits to complete the same task. Gardner does the same throughout his book as he compares som...
Read more