Sociocultural Theory And Second Language Learning

In class we recently went more in-depth into cognitive development. With this expansion, we learned about well known theorist, Piaget and Vygotsky. To demonstrate their theories, My Virtual Life represented how cognitive growth and language growth could be shown in real life situations. With this intention, Scarlett futhers her understanding of how her environment is applicable to her and continues to excel in language development. Piaget's theory, is separated cognitive growth into sixth stages. Depending on what stage a child is in, is further categorized as either preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.

The approach is based on the idea that an individual’s activities occurs in a cultural context and can be best understood in their historical development (Kagitcibasi, 2012). Vygotsky developed this theory with the intent of coming up with a way to explain human behavior. The theory examined various subjects including the psychology of art, thought and language; and also focused on education of students with special needs. Vygotsky believed that caregivers, parents, peers, and culture at large play an important role in developing an individual’s higher order functions. There are various modern time interpretations of this theory with one focused on explaining human development. In this context, the sociocultural theory explains that learning is a social process and the society makes a significant contribution to individual development. The theory states that learning is based on interactions with other people and once this has happened, the information is then incorporated on a personal level (Hutchison,

Many popular theories of second language acquisition have been analyzed throughout history. The socialization of L2 learners, their present emotional state that is present at time of acquisition, as well as the comprehensible input and output with the use of scaffolding play a major role in second language acquisition. Let us also not forget the importance of written expression as well as reading comprehension with these L2 learners. Each play a role in language development. However, I believe that in acquiring a language, one must use a variety of techniques that work together to create a balance within the learning environment. Furthermore, all L2 learners learn differently and so a variety of resources will need to be used based on the ability of each student. There are many theories that have been developed by highly qualified experts in the field on linguistics. However, I will address those areas that I agree with as I present my personal theories on second language acquisition.

According to Lev Vygotsky (1978), language plays a central role in social interaction since it is the primary means for making social

The article For the Love of Language by Geoffrey Cowley was published by Your Child's First Steps on October 2000. The author focuses on the importance of language and how children develop their language skills. Cowley states that the journey towards language starts in the womb and that babbling is the first step towards fluent speaking. Children also start associating names with objects around age one and children around two years old start to connect noun phrases with verb phrases. And lastly, children around seven months do not just seek out associations between words, but also extract principles governing word order. Cowley also uses terms like cochlear implant, mimicry, simple conditioning, operant conditioning, and specific language impairment (SLI).

Vygotsky proposed that children’s development is affected by their culture and social interaction. He also suggested that children are not born with knowledge but they gain it through their social interactions with peers and adults; he does not rule out the importance of biological processes but proposes an interdependent relationship between biological development alongside social activity and cultural interaction.

The origin of the Greek polis has been disputed to be either of religious or economic association. The arguments rest on the foundation that societies go through different stages. Primordial (clan/tribe) societies evolved into political (city-state) societies and then into industrial (modern) societies. Both sides provide credible arguments, but their arguments are lacking details that overlap both associations. The combination of religion and economics is what molded the Greek city-state and not just one or the other. Writers with an economic point of view claim of the Greek city-state as one where its people began to move from only being consumers to becoming producers and building friendships for the purpose of self-preservation. Even though the economy was a large portion of the city-state, religion cannot be discarded due to the various artifacts and buildings that demonstrate how it became a crucial part of society. To only claim religion led to the creation of Greek polis also does not

Another socio-cultural factor which influences children’s language development is their cultural backgrounds and identity. A child’s cultural identity greatly influences the way they learn and their approach to education. “Teachers should

while attending junior school , high school and community college. Each job took me out of my comfort zone by meeting new people whom had different ethics, work experience, and financial backgrounds than my own. My first job was at The Whale's Tale Ice Cream Shop in the Hamptons, an exclusive vacation destination in New York. The following summer I put in an application at the Vine Street Cafe which is a high-end restaurant in the Hamptons. That same summer I worked in the morning shift as a busboy for the Chequit Inn. From this experience I learned that hard work and dedication are key factors to being successful. Those principles have helped me excel at each job I've

On Friday March 11th 2011 at 2:46 pm, Japan’s Eastern coast was hit with an earthquake of a 9.0 magnitude. Following the quake, an 18 foot tsunami was triggered causing the pre existing damage to be even more sever. The tsunami caused the AC power to disable in 3 of the plants, which kept the cooling system from working. As a result, hydrogen in the exploded in the fuel rods which stated the release of the large amounts of radioactive material into the surrounding area.The quake and tsunami alone caused 15,893 people to lose their lives. Not only did this devastate the country when it happened, but the disaster is still affecting not only Japan, but surrounding areas, such as the Pacific ocean and parts of the U.S.

Lev Vygotsky believed that social and cognitive development work simultaneously to build and evolve on one another. He believed that social, cultural and personal experience cannot be detached from each other and many things influence the way children learn and develop, not just their own experiences, thus Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. Vygotsky’s ideas were and remain controversial as he had no specific training in psychology or children’s development. His preeminent contribution to children’s development is his recognition of the value of progressing knowledge by means of interaction with educators, peers and family (Mooney, 2000, p. 83). The major ideas of Vygotsky’s theory are scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is a process Vygotsky described as the framework or temporary support for children’s learning. In order for scaffolding to be beneficial, it must be responsive to the child’s needs (Coon & Mitterer, 2013, pp. 106-107).

Unlike Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, which stresses that cognitive development was expected to mature through self initiated discovery, Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory places greater emphasis on the influence a child’s culture, social factor, and language. Meaning, Vygotsky believed a child learns more from personal interaction with in his/her culture, rather than through individual experiences of chance and random. Social interaction with one’s culture plays a tremendous role in the cognitive development of an individual. Culturally specific tools and language, taught and passes from generation to generation, are perceived practice for one’s survival in social

The sociocultural theory was developed by a theorist named Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky was born in 1896 and was from the former Soviet Union. He was a psychologist who had an abundance of ideas and put them into many theories and writings. Although Vygotsky died from tuberculosis at the young age of thirty-eight, his most prominent work was done in a short period of ten years. When he died in 1934, the Soviet Union held most of his work and it was not until about 1960 that his work was translated into English. Currently in the education field, Vygotsky’s main work on the sociocultural theory is getting a lot of attention.

The above leads us to thinking about the Vygotsky language and, by extension, the role of the school and the teacher. In view that, we are immersed in any culture, the products of that culture are transmitted mostly by language. Also, picking up with the learning, Vygotsky handles the concept of Zone of Proximal Development, which refers to the

In Vygotsky’s theory of social and cultural influences, he emphasized his theory through three important themes: Culture, Language and Zone of Proximal Growth (ZPG). With culture, adolescents in the fourth division of education begin to integrate with people of different cultures. It gives them the advantage to listen to different beliefs, values, norms and attitudes of other people. It will have the student thinking and how he or she can understand a given theory. Second is language, the main component when it comes to communication. Similar to culture except learning through symbols, logic and sign language. For example: Janice is deaf, she may be unable to hear but can communicate with sign language and gestures. In the Zone of Proximal Growth, the student cannot do a task without the guidance of a supporter.