Lev Vygotsky Theory: Personal Experience

Reflecting on your own life experience as a learner may sound straightforward. However, indulging in some of the readings of different philosophers such as Albert Bandura, Lev Vygotsky, and Jean Piaget has driven me into understanding that our experiences shape our life trajectories. This autobiography will seek to unfold the most interesting as well as the unpleasant recollections of my learning journey. This is an opportunity to uncover aspects of my learning that may have embodied my personality and viewpoint. Several people and events have had a great influence on this journey and have shaped who I am today.

Looking back into my childhood, my parents had a great emphasis on education and I agree that my mother was my very first teacher. (Allen and Cowdery, 2011) argued that not only are parents their child's first teacher, they are also the most frequent teacher because, with the appropriate support, they make their home a secure learning environment. I recall moments of singing nursery rhymes, storytelling, and maths games now and then with my mother and siblings which prepared me for school hence, I did not go to school as an empty vessel. Just like Piaget states, children construct their own knowledge based on their previous experiences (Aubrey and Riley, 2019; Pritchard 2017). Therefore, by the time I began school, I was ready to build up more knowledge based on what my mother had taught me, thence she was my role model. This relates to the UNCRC (article 3) which states that all adults should do what is best for the child and make the right decisions whilst thinking about how they will affect the child (UNICEF, 1990).

In addition, (Bandura, 2017)contends that the process of learning is a consequence of direct experiences, thus modeling can have a heavy influence on promoting everyday learning. Constructivists like Bandura argued that interacting in various ways with two or more individuals can be an effective way of learning. Therefore, learning would be strenuous if people only relied on their own actions to inform them what to do, hence people learn from observing and interacting with their role models (Pritchard and Woollard, 2010). This resonates with Vygotsky's argument that through social interaction with a more knowledgeable other, a learner can make progress across their zone of proximal development(Aubrey and Riley, 2019; Pritchard and Woollard, 2010).

Throughout my years in school, I continued to exceed highly especially in Maths. While in high school, I remember being allowed to teach Maths to my peers because I was exceptionally good at the subject. My teacher applied Vygotsky's theory which indicates that we learn from a more knowledgeable other (MKO) and this does not only have to be the adult(Aubrey and Riley, 2019; Pritchard and Woollard, 2010, Bates, 2019). It can be emphasized that listening to the experiences of others can move an individual beyond their comfort zone which could support their understanding and extend their knowledge(Bates, 2019). Nonetheless, it was tormenting for me to stand in front of the whole class as I was very shy.

In contrast, (Bates, 2019) concludes that to achieve the best learning outcomes, scaffolding to reduce the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) can be achieved by splitting members into smaller groups and ensuring that there is at least one MKO in every group. Therefore, I would contemplate that my scaffolding may not have been adequate because I was always expected to support the whole class rather than smaller groups. Furthermore, thinkers such as Dewey and Piaget argued that learners learn best through experiential learning whereby, they get involved in the practical actions of their own learning (Aubrey and Riley, 2019)and that is how their intelligence is shaped (Kolb, 2015). This indicates that I was actively involved in my own learning which resonates with Kolb's argument that learners learn best when they engage in first-hand experiences and reflect on the details of their experience (Aubrey and Riley, 2019). Adding on to that, the constructivist theory promotes the participatory approach in which the learner actively learns through participation because knowledge is not passively received but actively built up (Fernando and Marikar, 2017). Much as I loved the subject, I mastered it the harsh way because whenever we had tests, I remember being punished for failing numbers that I was not expected to get wrong, hence I had to learn maths through memorization for fear of failure which is known as rote learning. However, rote learning prevents the acquisition of meaningful learning because there is usually no understanding of the learned material (Navok, 2010).

Moving on to my hands-on experience, I had the opportunity to explore and engage in a variety of arts and crafts such as modeling with clay, making ornaments like necklaces, tailoring, and basketry. In tailoring, we used sewing machines as well as hand sewing to mend clothes and knitting equipment like hats and scarves with different patterns. Through these activities, we gained knowledge on how to be self-reliant. This is in line with one of the aims of the National Curriculum which indicates that pupils should be prepared for opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of adult life (DoE, 2014). Additionally, the UNCRC (article 29) also states that education should enable a child to use and develop their talents and abilities (UNICEF, 1990).

Referring back to constructivists, knowledge is acquired through interaction. Vygotskyobserved that children develop cultural tools which would represent how they make sense of the world; hence artwork should be introduced in schools. Engaging with a variety of cultural tools would help learners achieve new learning through problem solving and interaction with others who are skilled in using the cultural tools. Moreover, the meaning of these cultural tools may not be obvious to someone who has never come across them, thus the more skilled individual would be scaffolding the less skilled individual through interaction (Aubrey and Riley, 2019). However, in this case, Piaget does not agree with Vygotsky because he believes that a concept cannot be taught to a child and that children make meaning of the world through interacting with their environment (Pritchard 2017; Aubrey and Riley, 2019).

In conclusion, the understanding theory has helped me realize how my learning journey has shaped me today. I have learned that Vygotsky's, Bandura's and Piaget's theories have played a part in my journey and that learning does not necessarily start in school. Although my Maths learning experience was a tough one, I learned to be resilient and it is a skill that I have highly benefitted from.