Lev Vygotsky Biography - Life of Russian Psychologist

On June 11, 1934, Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist died at the age of 37. Vygotsky is the foremost expert on educational psychology. From the article:

"Work and Contributions

The work of Lev Vygotsky has become the foundation of much research and theory in cognitive development. Most of his theories emphasize the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition. His extensive research into cognitive development led his theory to be one of the most important of its kind. He believed that learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, human psychologically functions.

He argued that language is the main tool that promotes thinking, develops reasoning, and supports cultural activities. He theorized that children develop their behaviors and habits from their cultures and through their interpersonal experiences. He coined this concept as cultural meditation. In essence, Lev recognized that learning always occurs and cannot be separated from a social context.

Lev Vygotsky also conducted extensive research in to play. He theorized that playtime serves as a major educational tool, and children often learn new concepts based upon make-believe play. He also said that play activities also help the child to modulate and control their own behavior.

Zone of Proximal Development

Another popular theory within the field of developmental psychology is the zone of proximal development. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development is an important concept that elaborates the dimensions of school learning. He believes that learning and development can be improved by applying the other theory. The theory is described as the distance between a student’s ability to perform a task under adult guidance with peer collaboration. He categorized the zone of proximal development into two levels.

Level 1 is referred to as the present zone of development where the child performs his tasks without the help of others. Level 2 is called the “potential zone of development” where the child could potentially be capable of doing things with the help of other people (which we call the more knowledgeable person). He referred to this form of social support as “scaffolding.” Scaffolding practices help the child to realize his new potential abilities and to improve existing ones.

Books and Publications

Some of the famous works by Lev Vygotsky include Educational Psychology, Historical Meaning in the Crises of Psychology, Thinking and Speech, Thought and Language, and many more."