Vygotsky's Theory Analysis

According to Vygotsky, for the curriculum to be developmentally appropriate, the teacher must plan activities that encompass not only what children are capable of doing on their own but what they can learn with the help of others (Karpov & Haywood, 1998). Vygotsky’s theory does not mean that anything can be taught to any child. Only instruction and activities that fall within the zone promote development. For example, if a child cannot identify the sounds in a word even after many prompts, the child may not benefit immediately from instruction in this skill. Teachers can use information of both levels of Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development in organizing classroom activities such as first instruction can be planned to provide practice in

Vygotsky suggested that the child learns language in social interaction and then thinks in terms of that language. However, Vygotsky emphasized the importance of both history and context in the meaning each unit (word) of that language has in the thinking of the individual. Language plays an important role in a child’s development (Gredler, 2009). According to Vygotsky, children use speech not only for social communication, but also to help them solve tasks. Vygotsky (1962) further argued that young children use language to plan, guide, and monitor their behavior. This use of language for self-regulation is called private speech. For example, young children talk aloud to themselves about such things as their toys and the tasks they are trying to complete. Thus, when working on a puzzle, a child might say, “ is piece doesn’t go; maybe I’ll try that one.” A few minutes later she utters, “ This is hard”. For Vygotsky it is an important tool of thought during the early childhood years (John-Steiner,

He believed that private speech represents an early transition in becoming more socially communicative. For Vygotsky, when young children talk to themselves, they are using language to govern their behavior and guide themselves. Researchers have found support for Vygotsky’s view that private speech plays a positive role in children’s development (Winsler, Carlton, & Barry, 2000). Researchers have revealed that children use private speech more when tasks are difficult, after they make mistakes, and when they are not sure how to proceed (Berk, 1994). They also have found that children who use private speech are more attentive and improve their performance more than children who do not use private speech (Berk & Spuhl,