This article will briefly touch upon key learning theory to show knowledge of where pedagogical theories come from. Based on theoretical literature a critical review will be carried out on certain Pedagogical theories, in this instance Cooperative learning will be the main focus. The opportunities and challenges as a beginning teacher will be considered for this approach to learning in regards to Early Years stages of Scottish Education.
Lewin’s theories (1947) led to the formation of the theory of social interdependence by Morton Deutsch (1949) who conceptualized two types of social interdependence- positive and negative. Positive interdependence is where the actions of the individual foster the achievement of a joint goal, individuals encourage and facilitate each other to complete the task and reach the same goal. Negative
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Vygotsky’s ideas concerning Zone of proximal Development (ZPD) is an expression of the basic proposition that he sets out to convey, cognitive development is not a process that occurs spontaneously nor can it merely be explained by children’s interactions with the physical environment. It occurs because the child is embedded in a social context, surrounded by people with greater expertise willing to share their knowledge. This provides strong support for the inclusion of cooperative learning strategies in the classroom instruction. According to key literature, modern cooperative learning primarily began in 1966 (Johnston & Johnston, 2009), with the application of social interdependence theory becoming one of the most successful and widespread applications of social and educational psychology to practice. Johnson and Johnson (2009)