Vygotsky TIPR
Current Teacher Behavior
1. What evidence do you see in your field experience of specific teacher behaviors that are related to Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural cognitive development? Specifically address the use of More Knowledgeable Other(s), how the teacher determines the students' Zones of Proximal Development, the types of scaffolding/assisted learning provided, how the teacher helps students internalize the information, the types of cultural and technological tools used, etc.
Most of the classes I've observed have group or partner work as part of instruction. This is an example of learners using a more knowledgeable other to understand a concept. Sometimes group work is organized into a jigsaw type activity where a student becomes an "expert" in a topic and then becomes the MKO to the rest of the group as they teach them what they learned, other times the students might fill that role based on placement from the teacher as one that is doing better than the others in the class overall. Every class and lesson includes examples from Vygotsky's concept of cultural tools such as language in oral and written form, along with tools such as computers and calendars. Another aspect that is easily recognizable is the assisted learning teachers provide in the form of scaffolding graphic organizers or PowerPoint presentations with reminders of what to look for in a text. One time I even heard a teacher encourage the students to review what they had just learned in their own mind for one minute before sharing with a partner. That was a perfect example of the self-talk concept from Vygotsky's theory. Identification of the student's ZPD is something I have had a harder time picking out of these classes. Like mentioned previously, most of the lessons and classwork seem targeted towards the student aggregate and not personalized at all. This might have more to do with the fact that I observe Social Studies classes and might be different in English or Math classes. Even when working on a particular historical skill, such as sourcing documents, I don't see teachers differentiating at all for the different levels of mastery some students have achieved or are struggling with. The approach is always the same.
Student Needs
2. What are these students' needs through the lens of Vygotsky's theory? What more could or should be done?
According to Vygotsky, the students need the support of several other aspects of society to learn, and in most ways they seem to be receiving most of these things in the classes I observe. Working with a teacher and at times other classmates provides access to MKO that help with learning. Access to cultural tools such as books, images, computers, and so much more helps meet their needs as well. Teachers are actually very efficient in most cases at providing scaffolding for these students, although it seems that in may cases they are a little slow in removing the assistance to push these students to accomplish the same result on their own.
Plans for your Lesson
3. How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson in this class?
I'd like to try to get students to group up based on understanding level, instead of always putting a top learner with low learners. Doing that deprives the advanced learners of working in their own ZPD because they are always helping other students to work within theirs. I'd also like to create some kind of graphic organizer for my lesson that progressively provides less scaffolding as they progress through it.
1. What evidence do you see in your field experience of specific teacher behaviors that are related to Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural cognitive development? Specifically address the use of More Knowledgeable Other(s), how the teacher determines the students' Zones of Proximal Development, the types of scaffolding/assisted learning provided, how the teacher helps students internalize the information, the types of cultural and technological tools used, etc.
Most of the classes I've observed have group or partner work as part of instruction. This is an example of learners using a more knowledgeable other to understand a concept. Sometimes group work is organized into a jigsaw type activity where a student becomes an "expert" in a topic and then becomes the MKO to the rest of the group as they teach them what they learned, other times the students might fill that role based on placement from the teacher as one that is doing better than the others in the class overall. Every class and lesson includes examples from Vygotsky's concept of cultural tools such as language in oral and written form, along with tools such as computers and calendars. Another aspect that is easily recognizable is the assisted learning teachers provide in the form of scaffolding graphic organizers or PowerPoint presentations with reminders of what to look for in a text. One time I even heard a teacher encourage the students to review what they had just learned in their own mind for one minute before sharing with a partner. That was a perfect example of the self-talk concept from Vygotsky's theory. Identification of the student's ZPD is something I have had a harder time picking out of these classes. Like mentioned previously, most of the lessons and classwork seem targeted towards the student aggregate and not personalized at all. This might have more to do with the fact that I observe Social Studies classes and might be different in English or Math classes. Even when working on a particular historical skill, such as sourcing documents, I don't see teachers differentiating at all for the different levels of mastery some students have achieved or are struggling with. The approach is always the same.
Student Needs
2. What are these students' needs through the lens of Vygotsky's theory? What more could or should be done?
According to Vygotsky, the students need the support of several other aspects of society to learn, and in most ways they seem to be receiving most of these things in the classes I observe. Working with a teacher and at times other classmates provides access to MKO that help with learning. Access to cultural tools such as books, images, computers, and so much more helps meet their needs as well. Teachers are actually very efficient in most cases at providing scaffolding for these students, although it seems that in may cases they are a little slow in removing the assistance to push these students to accomplish the same result on their own.
Plans for your Lesson
3. How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson in this class?
I'd like to try to get students to group up based on understanding level, instead of always putting a top learner with low learners. Doing that deprives the advanced learners of working in their own ZPD because they are always helping other students to work within theirs. I'd also like to create some kind of graphic organizer for my lesson that progressively provides less scaffolding as they progress through it.
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