VYGOTSKY’S DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION

With Elena Bodrova, Ph.D. and Deborah Leong, Ph.D.

1994 (28 min) $250.   ISBN: 1-891340-62-X         [Available with Spanish Subtitles]

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From ancient philosophers to current politicians debating the “No Child Left Behind” legislation, we humans have struggled to understand the processes involved in learning the necessary skills and knowledge for leading effective lives. This film introduces students to one of the great thinkers on how humans learn, Lev Vygotsky.   

Best known for his concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, the margin at which optimal learning takes place, Lev Vygotsky’s work has much relevance in formulating thoughtful educational practices. 

Film content:    

Vygotsky’s own, tragically brief, life that exposed him to a wide sweep of humanity.        

His concept that humans construct knowledge, rather than taking it in as they do food and air.  This he shared with his contemporary, Jean Piaget.

His concept that learning can lead mental development.  In this he differed from Piaget.

His concept that development cannot be separated from the social context in which it occurs.  Individual lives are very much shaped their particular social environment.

His concept that language plays a central role in mental development.

Visuals:

Rare archival materials documenting Vygotsky’s life during the dramatic years of early 20^th century Russia

Contemporary film sequences from three classrooms: an urban Head Start and two multi-aged primary classrooms

Carefully rendered graphic representations of important concepts

Fascinating film of a pre-literate Papua New Guinea village during a visit by anthropologist Margaret Mead, to demonstrate how social context shapes thought processes

Lev Vygotsky’s life:

Born in 1896 in a small city in Belorussia, then a part of the Russian Empire

            University study in Moscow before the Russian Revolution

            Work in a wide range of environments during the first decade of the Communist era including teacher training institutes, schools for the mentally and physically handicapped, institutions for refugees, scientific institutes.

            Wrote seven books and dozen of articles.

            Died in 1934 of tuberculosis, age 37.

            His work was banned in the USSR for decades after his death as being subversive.

Consultants:

Elena Bodrova, Ph.D. was born and educated in the Soviet Union, immigrating to the United States in the early 1990’s.  She studied under A.N. Leont’ev who had been a student of Vygotsky’s.  In the United States, Dr. Bodrova has been a professor and has lead many teacher workshops for the Mid-Continent Research in Education and Learning Institute (MCREL).

Deborah Leong, Ph.D. received her doctorate in psychology from Stanford.  She is a professor of psychology at Metropolitan College of Denver and the author of several books on constructivistic education. 

Other films with Drs. Bodrova and Leong as consultants:

            SCAFFOLDING SELF-REGULATED LEARNING IN PRIMARY CLASSROOMS

            PLAY: A VYGOTSKIAN APPROACH

            BUILDING LITERACY COMPETENCIES IN EARLY CHIILDHOOD

Related film:

            Part of the GIANTS OF PSYCHOLOGY series

"I liked the film very much and particularly liked the Margaret Mead films, which visually supported Vygotsky's emphasis on the social context of learning. Bravo."

— George Forman, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst

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