Activity 3.3

Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory states that learning cannot be independent of social forces and the importance of assisted learning. Through assisted learning and social interaction, the student can be instructed at their ability level and their zone of proximal development will be the students’ actual development level the next day. So what a child needs assistance with today he or she will be able to complete independently tomorrow. (Mind in Society, p. 87) A real life example is when a teacher guides a student how to add two digit numbers without regrouping and the next day observe as the student independently solves similar problems.

Vygotsky believes that the social interactions between the instructor and the student plays an essential role in the student’s cognitive development.  James supports this idea in Talks with Teachers, “the child will always attend more to what the teacher does than to what the teacher says.” (p. 46) According to Vygotsky, not only will the child attend more to the teacher but the child will also learn more due to this social interaction and assisted learning.  James also states that the educator's principle task is to "break up bad associations or wrong ones, to build others in, and to guide the associative tendencies into the most fruitful channels." (p. 42) Again, James supports the teacher’s role as the guide in the learning process which connects with Vygotsky’s beliefs that assisted learning is essential to cognitive development.