Lev Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky, born in the U.S.S.R. in 1896, is responsible for the social development theory of learning. He proposed that social interaction profoundly influences cognitive development. Vygotsky believed that our life long process of development was dependent on social interaction and that social learning actually leads to cognitive development. Traditionally, schools had not promoted environments in which the students play an active role in their own education as well as their peers'. Vygotsky's …

…well as in some areas of psychotherapy. Vygotsky emphasized that cognition is shaped by practices and relations that people are involved in. There are many aspects of Vygotsky's work that ring true in today's society. I have seen children attempt to manipulate their environment to better suit their needs, and I believe that if a teacher creates an experience in which the child has an opportunity to do this, the learning will be more profound.