Lev Vygotsky’s Theory Essay Example for Free

Lev Vygotsky’s Theory Essay The development or the growing-up process of a child has been considered as the most critical and crucial part of a person’s life. It is in this stage where most changes take place which determines the strength or weakness of the foundations of one’s skills and capabilities as he or she grows up. Human development has also been an interesting topic or research in the field of psychology over the years. Theories and concepts have been formulated and developed in order to create a wide understanding of the process of human development as it plays a significant part in a person’s foundation as an adult. The developmental process of a child includes several aspects like the physiological, emotional, and cognitive development. In this paper, the focus shall be on cognitive development and the process of language acquisition, as proposed and theorized by Lev Vygotsky. What is Cognitive Development and Language Acquisition? Cognitive development is a part of the overall dynamic process of human maturity. In current media, a lot of products like milk, supplements, and health commodities for children have been advertised to contribute on improving the wellness of a child’s cognitive development. This shows how the current society values this aspect of child development with special importance. Cognitive development pertains to how an individual understands and grasps ideas through learned factors and genetics as well. This developmental aspect is made up of five fields, namely, information processing, intelligence, reasoning, language development, and memory (Wells, 2008). Understanding the whole cognitive development of a child may not be complete without understanding these core fields. However, this paper shall focus on one area which is language development. The definition of intelligence and cognitive development has also become a popular debate among psychologists like Vygotsky and Piaget. Piaget defines intelligence as the ability of an individual to adapt to his or her environment through several adaptation models which include the concepts of assimilation and accommodation, both of which place stronger emphasis on the individual (cited in Lloyd, 1995). On the other hand, Vygotsky argues that cognitive development refers to the capacity of a person to learn through instruction with an emphasis on the environment. Moreover, Vygotsky saw the capability of individuals to learn through instruction as the basic feature of human intelligence (cited in Lloyd, 1995). In medical terms, language development can be identified as the process wherein the complexity of symbols, sounds, and meanings combined is being expanded steadily. This process shall depend on how a person interprets, understands, and perceives objects and symbols as influenced by his or her environment and learning process (Biology Online, 2005). Among children, especially those of 1 to 2 years of age, the early developments in language can be very well observed in their constant cooing, imitation of adult sounds and words, babbling, and use of shortened words and sentences (Biology Online, 2005). Lev Vygotsky’s Views on the Roots of Though and Language Lev Semenovich Vygotsky is a German psychologist who explained and expounded on the genetic approach to the early developments of thoughts and concepts in human development. He connected the changes and transitions occurring in this process from childhood to adulthood through a series of human developmental stages (Marxist Internet Archive, 1990). Although his theories have been rejected in the United States during the earlier part of the political conflict between the U. S. and Soviet Union, his works still became popular as the Cold War ended up to present date. His works basically revolved around the roots of thought and language. It will be easier to understand Vygotsky’s theories in psychology by understanding the main arguments from which his theories are rooted from. His main arguments about intelligence and cognitions state that, (1) thinking is understood developmentally in terms of its roots and succeeding growth at the individual and cultural levels of analysis; (2) thinking is interceded by semiotic mechanisms like speech which can be considered as the most powerful of such mechanisms; and (3) there are certain thinking processes like problem solving, voluntary memory, and self-regulation which have roots from social processes and interactions (Vygotsky cited in Goswami, 2004). As one may observe, more often than not, Vygotsky used the terms â€Å"speech† and â€Å"thinking† than language and thought. This preference to use such terms was believed to be linked with his perception of speech as a social or shared process (Lloyd, 1995). For Vygotsky, the developments of thinking and speech are two separate entities: thought being non-verbal and language being non-intellectual. However, he explained that during a specific time in a person’s life (around the age of two), the lines of development of these two areas start to meet again to induce the creation of a new behavior (Vygotsky cited in Schutz, 2004). He was able to expound his positions on this concept as he noted that, (1) thinking and speech have different roots at the start of their development; (2) at the beginning, there will be a pre-intellectual stage for speech and a pre-linguistic stage for thought; (3) there will come a point in time when these two aspects shall follow different curves unaffected with each other; (4) at a second point, their curves shall meet where thought will turn verbal, and speech, on the other hand, will turn rational; and lastly, (5) thinking and speech are not always overlying each other (Lloyd, 1995). Vygotsky’s theory has also been particular about the construction of words and acquisition of word meanings. He explains that the formation of word and word meaning is in a way related to how a child perceives a problem in communicating with his or her guardian. Vygotsky claims that word meanings are derived from the problem of not knowing what to call or how to describe a specific object, feeling, or thought, which the child usually asks from an adult (cited in Schutz, 2004). Vygotsky also acquired interest in understanding the possibilities that language may indeed affect how a person thinks. In contrast to Piaget’s focus on children’s egocentric and private speech, Vygotsky dealt with language as a form of social communication which progressively supports both language and thinking process. Applications of Vygotsky’s Constructivist Cognition Concept to a Child’s Education and Language formation Vygotsky’s Language Acquistion Theory has been influenced by the constructivist approach. In constructivism, problem solving is the core idea of all forms of learning, thinking, and development; that is, as a child encounters a problem and discovers consequences for its solutions, he or she eventually forms his or her thinking and understanding of a certain concept (Vygotsky cited in Brewer, 2007). In the constructivist view, prior knowledge plays a big part on how a child will perceive things as he or she grows up; that is, it is important for the learner to be able to construct new information into his or her current knowledge because the information connected to the learner’s prior experiences shall be forgotten easily. In application to real life situations, teachers can try to learn about the children’s prior knowledge about a specific problem or a specific topic which confuses them in order to gauge what the children already know and help them understand different experiences (Brewer, 2007). In relation to language development, Vygotsky also coined the concept of the zone of proximal development, which emphasizes that children acquire knowledge about objects and concepts they see as confusing through directed interactions from guardians, teachers, and parents. He explained that what children learn with the guidance and assistance of people around them appears to be a lot more suggestive of their learning development compared to what they usually do alone (Vygotsky, 1987, qtd. in Lloyd, 1995). Thus, speech and word meaning which is acquired by a child alone may not give him or her the utmost linguistic potential he or she can have. Language development as well as the other aspects of development a child goes through in the early years is highly important regardless of the learning genre or theory followed. Theories like Vygotsky’s language acquisition theory are formulated to give people specific basis of the different developmental processes. A child’s language development is never as plain as teaching him or her words and names; rather, it is a complex process which involves crucial elements and key areas where parents, teachers, and concerned guardians have to focus on in order to help the child realize his or her full potential. References Biology Online. (2005, October 3). Language Development.Retrieved November 14, 2008 from http://www. biology-online. org/dictionary/Language_development Brewer, W. (2007). Learning theory: Constructivist approach. Answers. com. Retrieved November 14, 2008 from http://www. answers. com/topic/learning-theory-constructivist-approach Goswami, U. (2004). Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Cognitive Development. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing. Lloyd. P. (1995). Psychology: Cognitive and Language Development. Leicester, UK: British Psychological Society. Marxist Internet Archive. (1990). Vygotsky, Lev Semenovich (1896-1934). Retrieved November 14, 2008 from http://www. marxists. org/glossary/people/v/y. htm#vygotsky-lev Schutz, R. (2004, December 5). Vygotsky language acquisition. English Made in Brazil. Retrieved November 14, 2008 from http://www. sk. com. br/sk-vygot. html Wells, K. R. (2008). Cognitive development. Encyclopedia of Children’s Health. Retrieved November 14, 2008 from http://www. healthofchildren. com/C/Cognitive-Development. html

The Black Prince :: Essays Papers

The Black Prince (1330-1376) The Black Prince was the eldest son of King Edward the 3rd. His real name was Prince Edward Plantagenet and he was born in June of 1330 at the royal palace of Woodstock. The Black Prince grew up to become one of the most famous me diaeval warriors of all time. It is not really known where his nickname (the Black Prince) stemmed from, however, it is certain that it originated about two hundred years after his death. There is no evidence to support that he wore black armor, which seems to have inspired the very famous nickname. He did, however, carry a shield of peace which was predominantly black. This is probably the most likely reason for his nickname. The Black Prince was an exceptional knight who also had a gift for commanding armies. His skills as a commander became legendary throughout Europe. His most exceptional achievement, which was probably the main reason for his name becoming a legend, was his remarkable defeat of the French forces at Poitiers in 1356 during the Hundred Years War. This defeat also lead to the capture of the French King John the II. In order to celebrate his many victories the Black Prince would often hold vast celebrations which consisted of tournaments and banquets. These celebrations would often be very expensive and they would draw large amounts of money from his estates. This careless spending of money would usually lead to disorder throughout his Kingdom. The Black Prince was the King of England from 1327 to 1377. While King he was capable of being very cruel. His cruelties ranged from spending money on parties, which was badly needed by the people of his estates, to the horrible offense of torture. While he was King, at age 31, the Black Prince married Joan Plantagenet who was 33 at the time of her marriage to the Black Prince. While he may have been able to cheat death on the battlefield he wasn't, however, able to cheat death off the battlefield. The Black Prince caught a disease while in Spain.

Management and Samsung

Contents I. Introduction – Executive Summary:2 II. Critical Success Factors4 1. Wise R&D Strategy:4 2. Strong intellectual Capital:5 3. Self-weakness recognition5 4. Effective Supply Chain Management7 5. Effective Marketing Strategy:8 6. SAMSUNG’s culture and leadership:10 III. Conclusion14 References:15 I. Introduction – Executive Summary: Electronic products now are the necessary part in household and they provide the conveniences make living of people better. However, the awareness of people now progressively has improved, lead to the higher expectation in quality of products.It provides both opportunities and threats for electronics companies. SAMSUNG is the company which seized the opportunities to growth from small export business to world’s leading electronics company, which specializes in digital appliances and media, semiconductors, memory, and system integration. SAMSUNG was found on 1st of March, 1938 by Byung-Chull Lee in Taegu, Korea with only 30. 000 won. At the start, SAMSUNG focused primarily on trade export, agricultural products such as dried fish, vegetable and fruit to Manchuria and Beijing.Samsung Distribution ChannelWithin a decade, SAMSUNG owned flour mills and confectionary machines became a co-operation in 1951. From 1958, Samsung began to broaden into other businesses such as financial, media, chemicals and ship building during the 1970's before it specialized in electronics manufacturing and continued expand their business on global market in 1990. In 1997 the majority of Korean businesses got smaller in size and Samsung was no exception. They had to sell and dropped some businesses to reduce debt and cut employees down lowering personnel by 50,000.But they managed to control that situation and continue to grow after restructure old businesses and enter the new ones with the aim of becoming one of the world’s top five electronics companies. Adapt with the changing tech world, SAMSUNG gradually became the famous name in electronics markets and now over more than 60 years, SAMSUNG becomes market leader in electronics market when it has market share in almost countries in the world, especially in Asia, the largest market of SAMSUNG.For examining the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of the multinational corporation, SAMSUNG would be rather useful. It is essential to indicate the following Critical Success Factors of SAMSUNG that were in fact implemented to corporation’s strategy as main precedence in the long-term to become the leader in markets. ?Wise R Strategy ?Strong Intellectual Capital ?Self-Weakness Recognition ?Effective Supply Chain Management ?Effective Marketing Strategy ?SAMSUNG’s culture and leadership

The Spiritual Exercises Dean Brackley Joins A Long...

How can we tell how best to dedicate our lives to the common good in the modern age? In The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times, Dean Brackley joins a long tradition of interpretation of the writings of Saint Ignatius Loyola. Considering the Spiritual Exercises as the starting point for his model, Brackley seeks to recover the place of direct, supernatural, divine influence, particularly by the Holy Spirit, on the discernment of the believer. The spiritual challenges faced by followers of the Exercises have evolved in recent times, as has the Church’s recognition of existing challenges. In the spirit of The Second Vatican Council, he expands the interpretation to account for the experiences of both powerful and marginalized in an ever rushing world, always seeking to get ahead. Rather understandably, Christianity has tended to focus primarily on the Jesus Christ, titular savior and most concretely comprehendible of God’s Persons, though dogma of the Trinity names two other Persons, of whom the Father is at least given credit as Creator and Sustainer, while the Holy Spirit has traditionally been assigned only an ancillary role, occasionally intervening to guide the Curia. In fact, the Holy Spirit, offered freely as the Paraclete to all men and women, regardless of merit is quite possibly the most active of the three in the inner lives of all seekers of truth today. It is His guidance we seek and find in the discernment process. In offering his new interpretation of