MES – 013: LEARNING, LEARNER AND

DEVELOPMENT

1. a) Discuss Vygotsky’s socio-cultural perspective in learning and its

educational implications.

answer.
Lev Vygotsky: Educational Implications
of Sociocultural Theory

Sociocultural theory examines how society influences individuals. There are

many thinkers that have contributed to this field. This particular paper analyzes
the implications of Vygotsky’s theory.

In the field of education, Vygotsky’s theoretical contributions continue to be

extensively cited by educational theorists in the development of curricula and
formulation of new teaching strategies

His Socio-cultural theory has particularly been used by educators to transform

children’s thoughts, perceptions, worldviews and behaviours. According to
Vygotsky, social interactions among children in the social context lead not only to
enhanced levels of knowledge but also to a complete transformation of their
thoughts and behaviours
Parents and educators are increasingly using this theory in discharging their
primary duty of assisting children to become high achievers. Below, a summary
of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory is outlined. The discussion will focus on the
theory’s implications for kindergarten age children and children with special
needs.

Vygotsky was of the opinion that exposing a child to a variety of cultures and
social environments expands his or her knowledge base. It was the believe of
Vygotsky that developmental progressions, dependent upon individuals and
cultural tools granted to the child within the social context, will greatly assist him
to shape his perceptions of the world

Consequently, educational theorists have specifically focussed on Vygotsky’s

sociocultural theory due to the recognition of the fundamental functions played by
social cultural factors and influences in the processes of learning and
development.

According to the sociocultural theory, learning can be passed on to individuals

using three approaches, namely imitative learning, instructed learning and
collaborative learning.

Vygotsky came up with the zone of proximal development (ZPD) to signify the
distance between the actual development stage as exhibited by independent
problem solving ability and the level of potential development as exhibited by
problem solving ability under the direction of an adult or in cooperation with more
competent peers.

The sociocultural theory has important implications for kindergarten age children
and children with specialized needs as it can be effectively used to occasion
critical advancements in their learning development. According to the theory,
children are able to learn much through social interaction.
This theoretical perspective centres the learning process on the cultural, social,
institutional, environmental and historical situations rather than individual
cognitive abilities as Piaget suggested. As such, it is effective in teaching
students with specialized needs

This is especially important to children with special needs since they require
specialized attention. In this particular technique, educators are required to
control the learning environment to ensure young children learn through a step
by step process that limits unwarranted frustration while expanding their
knowledgebase.

The assessment methods used by educators to evaluate the performance of

kindergarten age children and children with special needs must take into
consideration the zone of proximal development. What the learners can achieve
on their own is their actual level of development and what they can be able to
achieve with the assistance of educators is their level of potential development

All in all, Vygotsky’s theoretical perspective has registered many positive

implications for kindergarten students and children with special needs in terms of
learning. In line with the propositions of sociocultural theory, children within this
age-group must continually be exposed to a multiplicity of social situations within
the social context since each interaction is perceived as a learning experience.

Through this discussion, it is clear that guiding children within this age-group
through imitation, listening to instructions and collaborative learning will
inarguably broaden their current base of knowledge.
2. b) Discuss how class differences in socialization affect children’s learning.

Answer:
Parents have different beliefs on how to deal with challenges in the
classroom," said Jessica McCrory Calarco, assistant professor in IU
Bloomington's Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences.
"Middle-class parents tell their children to reach out to the teacher and ask
questions. Working-class parents see asking for help as disrespectful to
teachers, so they teach their children to work out problems themselves."
Calarco studied four classrooms in a public school from their time in third
grade through fifth grade. To isolate differences based on social class alone,
she only collected interviews from Caucasian students and families, in
addition to their teachers.
In general, middle-class children get more attention from their instructors
because they actively seek it, while working-class children tend to stay silent
through any of their educational struggles so as not to be a bother. Calarco
said the differences in how parents teach their children to deal with problems
in school stem primarily from parents' level of involvement in their children's
schooling.
"Middle-class parents are more plugged into the school, so they know what
teachers expect in the classroom. Working-class parents don't think it's their
place to be involved, so they tend to be less aware of what teachers expect
today," Calarco said.
With the widening gaps in educational outcomes between social classes,
Calarco suggested that this study could help schools become more aware of
these differences and make moves to reduce the inequalities.
"Schools can step in to alleviate these differences in kids' willingness to seek
help," Calarco said. "Teachers need to be aware of social class differences
that students are bringing with them into the classroom. They need to be more
active in seeking out struggling students, because if we leave it up to the kids,
they may not seek it themselves."

.
3(c) Explain the concept and nature of
affective learning. Suggest strategies for
selecting and organizing curricular
experiences for developing affective learning
in your learners.
Answer-
Affective Education and Its Programs
Proponents of affective education believe that it should go hand in hand with traditional
instruction of subjects such as reading, math, science, and social studies. Affective education
focuses on developing students' belief systems, emotions, and attitudes. The underlying beliefs of
affective education are that in order to learn traditional subjects optimally, students must develop
these aspects of their personality. By working to develop these traits, students will have a more
solid foundation on which to build their traditional learning.
As a teacher, you bring to the classroom your own set of ideas, beliefs, interests, and attitudes.
These all define and guide your teaching process. It's important to remember that your students
enter the classroom the same way, though their ideas and interests may be less defined.
Affective education programs often seek to improve students' self-esteem, train them to be able
to work with other people effectively, and help them develop a sense of how they learn best.
Integrating affective education into the classroom can sometimes present a challenge for
teachers, who are often pressured to spend the whole school day teaching reading and math, but
little else. However, with some clever lesson planning, affective education can effectively be
incorporated into pre-existing curricula. The following examples will demonstrate some of these
strategies.
Developing Self-Esteem
After finishing your teacher preparation program, taking the pertinent certification tests, and
completing your student teaching experience, you probably feel like you are ready and able to teach
any student who crosses your door frame. Your self-esteem is most likely fully developed and won't
hinder your ability to teach. However, most of your students aren't quite at that point in their lives yet.
You will most likely have several students in your classes who are shy and unwilling to put
themselves in the spotlight. These students may not believe that what they have to say to the class
is good enough. Affective education seeks to help these kinds of students by developing their self-
esteem. By presenting your students with different ways to learn and solve problems, these shy
students will often come out of their shell.
For example, if you are teaching a lesson on women's suffrage, there are several ways in which you
can seek to include all students in the activities. By giving students the option to complete work in
different ways, such as allowing outgoing students to put on a skit about suffragettes while more
reserved students draw or create posters that resemble those from the time period, you will begin to
see all students succeeding in their own way. By allowing students to choose assignments that
make them feel most comfortable, the shy students may become more willing to share their work
with others because they are proud of it. This can go a long way towards developing students' self-
esteem.

Group Work
Group work is often a favorite tool teachers use to get students involved and working together.
However, simply throwing students into groups and expecting them all to contribute will often
produce mediocre results. In order for group work to effectively help your students develop good
social skills and the abilities needed to work well with other people, you will need to work closely with
them. In doing so, you can ensure that each student has a defined role in the group and is
contributing to the work.
An example of effective group work that also develops students' ability to work with others would be
an activity in which students need to produce a presentation to give to the class. At first, students
may be reluctant to volunteer for certain jobs. With your help, the group can delegate tasks, ensuring
that each student is contributing in a way that he or she feels strongly about.
Eventually, the goal is that students will be able to work in groups effectively without as much
oversight from you, the teacher. If you spend time focusing on their affective education and ability to
work together effectively, they should be able to delegate tasks on their own with each member
contributing.

Preferred Learning Style

Much like you have a preferred way of teaching, your students have preferred ways of learning. It's
important to keep this in mind when teaching, as students often learn best in their preferred learning
styles.
Affective education also focuses on helping students develop their own preferred ways of learning.
Each student you encounter will have different skill sets and learning preferences. Initially, they may
not be aware of what these are. Affective education seeks to help students develop these
preferences and learn what they are.
You may encounter students who are more visual learners, which means they learn best through
imagery rather than reading text. Other students may prefer activities that task them with working
together, while still others may learn best when left to their own devices. By giving your students
several options for completing assignments or learning, you can help them explore their preferred
learning styles.
For example, an assignment that involves researching cell structure can be completed in several
ways. Students who learn better through reading and writing can write a description of the cell
structure, while students who prefer visual imagery can draw a picture or make a 3D model.
Providing students with multiple avenues to learn will help them develop their own interests and
preferences.

Lesson Summary
Affective education is concerned with helping students develop aspects of their personality that
traditional education does not. Implementing an affective education program involves developing
your students' self-esteem, improving their ability to work effectively with other people, and helping
them discover their own interests and preferences for learning. By applying some of the examples
above and creating your own methods, you can incorporate affective education into your classroom.