Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky was a Soviet developmental psychologist, during the 1920-30’s. His short but utterly prolific research and writings have made an indelible mark on the social constructivist approach to pedagogy and child development. Vygotsky had a profound understanding of; how children develop, how language is learned, how behaviors are learned and evolve.

At the root of Vygotsky’s research is cultural mediation, the way a child’s higher mental functions develop, which happens when a child is interacting with others, generally parents, siblings, extended family, etc. These interactions teach children cultural habits, linguistic patterns, and symbolic knowledge. Vygotsky’s theory asserts that culture is the primary factor that determines an individual’s development; so the culture dictates what to think and how to think.

Vygotsky supported teaching morality as an important aspect of education. Without learning morals we can revert to fulfilling our primordial base desires, and in essence, the instinct to restrain ourselves from pursuing those desires, which separate us from our former, primitive selves. Our instincts have evolved to suit the respective set of conditions in which we live, and our instincts can be cultivated to regulate our behavior. Morality is a product of social psychology; moral concepts and ideas vary depending on the social environment.

The problem is teaching morality in a way that is not merely a list of dos and don’ts with rewards and punishments, but teaching children how to make their own decisions within the realm of what is socially acceptable. “Do not turn morality into the internal policeman of the soul. To avoid something out of fear still does not mean you are performing a good deed.” (Vygotsky, 1926) The conundrum is teaching ideals in a less than ideal society. Parents and teachers should model moral behavior, yet we are all so fallible, committing minor (sometimes major) immoralities on a regular basis. We are hypocrites.

I do love Lev Vygotsky; he was a realist and understood that teaching ideals in a society with social contradictions was a utopian dream, much like the great experiment that was Soviet society. I respect the desire to attain ideals, but clearly, it is set up for failure. The beauty of failure is that there is far more to be learned from failure than success.