Learning part 2: Social Learning Theory
Social Learning Theory
aka Social Cognitive Theory
“Students who believe they can successfully accomplish a particular task or activity are more likely to be motivated and to achieve their goals.”
Self-efficacy is an important part of social learning theory.
People learn through modeling, we watch and imitate others.
The Bandera study-
In this study, an adult was shown behaving aggressively to a doll. The children observing decided to imitate the behavior when consequences were positive. Thus children pay attention to certain behaviors and those consequences and base their behavior on what they expect.
4 steps:
Attention-Retention-Reproduction-Motivation (reinforcement or punishment)
We are social creatures. We are impacted by the social, cultural and historical context of the world around us. These various influences have profound influences on our thinking, learning and teaching practices.
Zone of Proximal Development by Lev Vygotsky (Sociocultural theory)
Interactions with more knowledgeable partners can aid in learning. A more knowledgeable other (mentor, teacher, peer) can help a student grasp ideas and solve hard problems they are not otherwise able to solve or grasp. The mentor or teacher must Scaffold that support.
The theoretical basis supporting the zone of proximal development is that a student’s cognitive ability is most accurately measured by his or her capacity to
solve problems independently or with the help of an adult
The zone of proximal development is bounded by the ability to solve problems independently or with help from a more advanced person. In other words, if a student can't perform a task even with assistance, or if the student can already perform it independently, the task is not in the child's zone of proximal development. This concept is central to Vygotsky's theory of development.
The theoretical basis supporting the zone of proximal development is that a student’s cognitive ability is most accurately measured by his or her capacity to
solve problems independently or with the help of an adult
The zone of proximal development is bounded by the ability to solve problems independently or with help from a more advanced person. In other words, if a student can't perform a task even with assistance, or if the student can already perform it independently, the task is not in the child's zone of proximal development. This concept is central to Vygotsky's theory of development.
This zone as compared to the zone of Flow
How to apply this
-relate prior knowledge to new knowledge content
-design curriculum so tasks develop from less to more complex
-offer apprenticeships where working with an expert who guides in thinking and planning and how to perform tasks
-encourage interaction with peers (think-pair-share)
-model behavior, walking through each step with them
-simplify problems and slowly increasing the complexity
-keeping tasks engaging and new and keeping their attention
A teacher is not alone
Impacts:
- Vygotsky believed that through both informal interactions and formal schooling, adults convey to children the ways in which their culture interprets the world. The children in the video are learning about insects and the life cycle.
- Vygotsky believed that complex mental processes begin as social activities and gradually evolve into internal mental activities that children can use independently. Reading comprehension is a shared activity in this classroom, with the teacher helping to co-construct meaning. She is modeling and offering direct instruction on reading strategies that children will eventually use independently when constructing meaning from text.
- Vygotsky believed that every culture passes along physical and cognitive tools that make daily living more effective and efficient. Reading strategies like making images in our minds are important cognitive tools in our society.
- Vygotsky believed that thought and language become increasingly interdependent in the first few years of life. For young children, reading begins as an activity that involves spoken language and only later becomes an internalized process. Asking the comprehension questions and articulating reading strategies are also activities that are spoken in this lesson but will eventually be internalized.
- Vygotsky believed that challenging tasks promote maximum cognitive growth and that children can perform more challenging tasks when assisted by more advanced and competent individuals. Ideally, these principles are the basis for all classroom instruction.
Teacher demonstrating these skills in elementary classroom teaching reading.
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