Amazing what watching "videos" can do to help you create a framework....

When I was watching the first video (Zone of Proximal dev. Mov) I was excited to see and hear about Vygotsky’s principal of zone of proximal development when being used in the elementary school.  I think that many times early childhood theorist are “characterized” as being for younger children only and the fact is that many of their tenants can be used in elementary school and even higher.  This video for me allowed me to see how the use of zone of proximal development could be implemented in classrooms with small groups of children.  This video also would allow for both the teacher and more advanced peers to scaffold the learning of other children.  The part of scaffolding that I like is that when completed only when needed and then removing or eliminating supports a teacher can also create an environment where a child is encouraged to inquire/question and thus deepen their own learning.  In this video the teacher used open ended questions to draw the children’s attention and guide them but not provide all the information.  Rather she scaffolded  their learning to help them figure out the answer.  The goal of this type of scaffolding could also be to provide children with the skills they would need to help figure out new challenges in the future.  Thus she taught them learning skills in addition to the new material. 

For the second video I had to get “over” the creepy music in the beginning and end but then it was nice to hear Deborah Leong and Elena Bodrova speak about Vygotsky’s theory of regulating behavior and also active learning.  Both Deborah Leong and Elena Bodrova have an extensive number of articles on Vygotsky and his principals and also have other videos that demonstrate Vygotsky’s theories in practice.  As a student of early childhood education I like being able to put a face with a name of current researchers who use and write about the various child development theories.  

The lack of fantasy play and the use of how fantasy play helps a child grow is interesting to hear.  Knowing that a child’s fantasy play helps the child to regulate their behavior and then this skill of self-regulation helps them cognitively and academically.  SEE there IS a purpose to “play” in early childhood centers!  Young children DO need to have the opportunity to direct their own play in free time and to make choices and then follow through on those choices.  When looking for a quality early childhood program I see too many using worksheets and drill exercises to “prepare” children for the next level of school.  Yet, these early childhood centers are the perfect setting to allow self-regulation to be learned, implemented and practiced!  To hear how both student directed and teacher directed learning are used collaboratively during scaffolding is refreshing.  Again I believe that children are told too often how to learn and not allowed to direct their learning process.  However, who better than the child to tell us where they are and where they want to go!  When I think of student directed learning I think of how the special education system is implemented in the United States.  Children with special needs are provided with supports and assistance based on them specifically.  How wonderful it would be for each child to be taught, reinforced, and their learning to be scaffolded based on what they specifically needed rather than what is to be taught at a specific grade level.  Of course our educational system would be turned upside down and teachers would have to stop worrying about state mandated tests that only test learning in one way…..

So of course after viewing all the videos and watching the one I posted last I realized how I should have changed the order. J  The last video by Bodrova and Leong should have been posted first to create a framework to understand Vygotsky’s principal.  But so it is last and I will think of it as a closing for my thinking and self reflection of Vygotsky’s principals.  To have the theory described in concise statements provides me with a framework to think of and use when completing the rest of my observations and ultimately my paper.  Do I see the child I’m observing actively participating in any of these theoretical principals?  Do I see scaffolding, and self regulation being implemented and thus advancing her learning, cognition and ultimately speech?  How does social interactions help my student development?

I know that all 3 videos focus on the most popular tenants of Vygotsky’s theory but since this is the first time I’m using several theoretical frameworks to guide a paper I need this basic information repeated over and over so I can then provide a foundation that I am able to use and manipulate.   I will have to see how much this repetition will help me when correlating what I observe with Vygotsky’s theory on speech development and the need for social interactions.

Now like the ending music makes me feel, I will proceed into the “Twilight Zone” and continue my learning of theoretical frameworks and focus my observations…. No one knows what mysteries I will find in the school today….