Statement of Educational Psychology

This curriculum is informed by the theory of social interaction formulated by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), constructivist learning principles derived from the work of Swiss philosopher and psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980), and ideas on constructionism articulated by Seymour Papert, inventor of the computer language Logo and founding member of the MIT Media Laboratory.

Lev Vygotsky maintained that full cognitive development of school-age children requires social interaction. He claimed that at any point in the development of cognitive skills in children, they also possess additional cognitive skills of a higher order, but in an embryonic stage of maturation. These skills can be used by the child at this stage, but only with the assistance of an adult or more capable peer. He therefore maintained that instruction should be based on the cognitive skills that are in the process of formation (Fielding, 1989).

Vygotsky’s theory has important implications for pedagogy. It means that there needs to be an interaction between the learner and the teacher in order for learning to occur, and that the most beneficial learning is when teachers involve and extend children in those areas of behavior, thinking, and knowledge that are in advance of those which they can perform independently. Psychologist and educator Jerome S. Bruner (b. 1915), who clarified and extended many of Vygotsky’s ideas, referred to this type of teacher-learner interaction as “scaffolding” (Bruner, 1985). When teachers provide scaffolding by using strategies such as modeling solutions, verbalizing thinking, and providing feedback, they are guiding learners to perform at increasingly challenging levels.

The idea that information is not simply transmitted in whole from one person to another was articulated by the Swiss philosopher and psychologist Jean Piaget. What actually occurs is that the receiver of the information mentally reconstructs a personal version of the information being conveyed. In essence, people construct their own intellectual structures. Seymour Papert builds on this theory by arguing that mental constructions of knowledge can be effectively supported by constructions “in the world.” These public constructions can range from things such as houses, cakes, and gardens to paintings and computer programs-- they are products that can be shown, examined, and discussed (Papert, 1993).