Sociocultural theory facts for kids

Sociocultural theory was developed by Lev Vygotsky. It's a way of understanding how we learn and grow. The main idea is that our interactions with others and the culture we live in really shape how our minds work. Vygotsky thought that parents, family, friends, and society all play a big part in helping us develop advanced thinking skills.

He believed that everything a child learns first happens when they interact with others. This is called the social level. Then, they use that knowledge by themselves. This is the individual level.

Who Was Lev Vygotsky?

Lev Vygotsky was born in Russia in 1896. He finished his studies at Moscow University in 1917. He started his work as a psychologist during a time of big changes in Russia. For seven years, he taught both literature and psychology.

Vygotsky had new ideas about psychology. Most scientists at the time focused only on what they could see people do. But Vygotsky thought that psychology should also look at how we think and are aware of things. Even though many disagreed, he got a job at the Institute of Psychology in Moscow. There, he worked on his new ideas.

Vygotsky passed away in 1934 due to an illness. His work started to get more attention in Russia in the 1960s. His ideas became well-known in the United States about twenty years later.

Understanding Sociocultural Theory

Vygotsky wanted to find new ways to solve problems in education and society. He believed that more than just our natural instincts shaped how humans act. He was one of the first modern psychologists to suggest that culture plays a big role in who we become.

Vygotsky thought that the tools and systems from a child's culture change their behavior. These cultural tools also connect what children learn early on to their later development. He strongly supported the idea that what children learn from others in their culture helps them grow. He believed that our thought processes come from talking with others and using language.

Three key parts of sociocultural theory are:

• The zone of proximal development
• Private speech
• Make-believe play

How We Use Psychological Tools

Vygotsky said that people learn to control themselves using "psychological tools." These tools include things like language, writing, counting systems, and common signs. They also include learning strategies and ways of remembering things taught in school.

These tools help guide our thoughts and actions. The culture we live in decides which tools, social interactions, and skills are important. What one culture values might be different from another. So, the tools provided reflect what that culture needs. For example, in Western societies, education and technology are important. In other societies, like some indigenous groups, hunting or gathering skills might be more valued. Children use these psychological tools to change their social experiences into their own understanding.

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Vygotsky believed that learning for children should match their current development level. He said that learning happens in a "zone of proximal development" (ZPD). This zone includes skills that are not fully developed yet but are close to being learned.

The ZPD helps us understand a few important things:

• It focuses on mental skills that children are working on but haven't mastered yet.
• It shows that help from friends or adults is a way of learning.
• It helps tell the difference between what a child can do alone and what they can do with help.

What a child can do without any help is their actual learning ability. What they can do with help is their potential learning ability.

What is Scaffolding?

In the 1970s, researchers Bruner, Wood, and Ross added the idea of "scaffolding" to this theory. Scaffolding describes how an adult helps a child complete a task they couldn't do alone.

Scaffolding fits with Vygotsky's theory because it shows how social interaction helps us learn. It's about how other people affect a child's development. The help given by a more skilled person changes based on what the child can learn. Think of physical scaffolding used to support buildings as they are built. In the same way, scaffolding in learning helps support a child as their thinking skills grow.

Why Children Use Private Speech

Private speech happens when children talk to themselves. Vygotsky saw this as a key step for all mental development. He believed that when children use private speech, their natural instincts turn into ways of acting that fit their culture.

Vygotsky thought children talked to themselves to guide their own actions. He suggested that private speech changes as children get older. When they are younger, they speak out loud. As they grow, this speech becomes more internal, happening inside their minds. Children learn from more capable people and then use that understanding in their private speech. Vygotsky believed private speech showed how children use support from others to help their own thinking and actions.

The Importance of Make-Believe Play

Vygotsky saw make-believe play as a very important part of a child's development. It's one of the main ways children develop during their preschool years. Children use make-believe play to try out many skills. They also learn important cultural abilities.

Vygotsky suggested that when children pretend, they learn to act based on their own ideas, not just what they see around them. During play, children pretend to be adults in their culture. They practice how they will act in the future. Play happens before development. This means children can start to gain the motivation, abilities, and attitudes needed to take part in society. This can only be done with the help of friends and adults. Make-believe play lets children practice how they would act in the real world. It gives them a way to gain the basic skills needed to function in their society before they become adults. However, learning these roles and skills always happens with help from others in their culture.

See also

In Spanish: Psicología histórico-cultural para niños