Using a Vygotskian sociocultural approach to pedagogy: Insights from some teachers in South Africa

Abstract

The goal of the study on which this article is based was to examine teachers' perspectives on the effectiveness of adopting a Vygotskian sociocultural approach to teaching and learning in the classrooms. The study used focus group interview discussions to gather views from 20 classroom practitioners who had completed a BEd Hons in Education Psychology. The teachers were from five secondary schools in the Gauteng region. Among the key concepts explored in the focus group discussions (FGDs) were the role of scaffolding when linked to mediated learning experiences (MLEs), the use of situated learning experiences in the learners' zones of proximal development (ZPD), and how the approach helped transform the learners' skills from lower to higher psychological functions through the use of material, psychological and semiotic tools in the classroom. The analysis of the data followed a thematic approach, with emerging codes being clustered into code families. Among the key findings of the study was the view of teachers that adopting a multipronged strategy that includes the use of authentic learning conversations, learning tools (material, psychological, and semiotic) and situated learning experiences goes a long way towards fostering useful teaching and learning. The study illustrated that classroom practitioners do need to take into account and adopt the many and varied benefits that can be derived from an authentic sociocultural approach to teaching and learning.

Exploring Grade 6 mathematics teachers' use of the language of learning and teaching in assessment for learning

“…However, we must note that this is facilitated through language. The term ZPD is strongly associated with scaffolding as Mutekwe (2018) has pointed out. According to Wood et al (1976), scaffolding practices help learners to master a concept taught to a point where they can complete a task on their own.…”

Critical Conscience for Construction of Knowledge in Mathematics Education

“…Similarly, knowledge construction is a continuous and active process where learners generate knowledge from their day-to-day life activities. They may use their intellectual power and personal experience to construct knowledge by interacting with family, community, and society in a collaborative manner (Mutekwe, 2018). The learners may also learn and construct knowledge from social-cultural norms, values, and critical reflective practices.…”

Re-imagining higher education: A cohort of teachers’ experiences to face the ‘new normal’ during COVID19

“…As students develop confidence and become more capable, less instruction is needed from the teacher and the students are able to generate their own learning. Bridging this gap through a process of scaffolding in a virtual space moves the students from the known to the unknown, from dependence to independence, also leading to improved skill ( Mutekwe, 2018 , p. 60). In this way the student adapts to the teaching and this reciprocal relation determines the level of independence the student has attained within the learning context ( OECD, 2018 ).…”