Vygotsky's Social Constructivism in Mathematics Teaching

Introduction and Personal Learning Philosophy

Growing up, I constantly remember hearing the phrase "no child left behind." As a student, it kept me motivated and gave me a sense of security. No matter what my abilities were, my teachers were there for support. As a teacher, this statement is just as important to me. Student involvement—whereby students feel important in the learning process and "as if it could not continue without their presence"—is imperative for meaningful, constructive learning to take place.

My theory of learning consists of not only what I view as effective from a teacher's perspective but also what I remember being effective for me as a student. It is true that not all students learn in the same manner or at the same rate, so it is important to vary approaches to account for this diversity. One of my main goals is to offer my students assistance and guidance in their own learning process. I want them to actively contribute and participate in the classroom; therefore, I often use games, role play, hands-on activities incorporated with group work and scaffolding. This gives students a chance to understand and conceptualize topics in a more intellectual manner through peer interactions and the sharing of ideas.

I find these methods are extremely important because I believe there is a need for improvement in mathematics learning in classrooms, and this is fundamentally related to development in teaching. Our role as teachers is not to transfer mathematical knowledge to students but to assist, guide, and facilitate in the reconstruction of particular ways of thinking. There must be a higher function of thought, which is reached by the student with the aid of the teacher. This can be done through social interaction between teacher and student, and student to student, which is fundamental for higher cognitive development.

Reflecting upon my own learning theory and practice, I realize that it favors Vygotsky's social constructivist theory, which asserts that social interaction precedes development. I integrate Vygotsky's theory in my own practice through "scaffolding, small groups, cooperative learning [and] group problem solving" (Blake and Pope, 2008: 63). In this paper I will discuss Vygotsky's social constructivist theory and how it is relevant to my own learning theory. I will then discuss my practice of Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD), scaffolding, play, and collaborative work in my Year 6 mathematics classroom.

Social Constructivism and Vygotsky's Theory

Russian psychologist Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (1896–1934) founded the sociocultural theory of development. Vygotsky's theory emphasizes the complex but critical interactions between social, cultural, and personal elements that weave together to create a learning environment that is as unique as the individual and that guides a child's cognitive development. He sees "cognitive growth as a collaborative process" (Papalia et al., 2008, p. 34). It is not a process that can be completed by one single party but rather a team or through collaboration in order to reach a higher level of thinking.

Jean Piaget was also a psychologist whose work evolved around the same time as Vygotsky. Piaget's scientific background assisted him in discovering a way to link how children acquire knowledge to their development in age. However, Piaget's view was that a child's development precedes their learning, while Vygotsky argued, "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function" (1978, p. 90). In other words, social learning tends to pave the way for development. Therefore, in my classroom I find Vygotsky's theory more relevant.

Vygotsky's theory stresses the crucial role of social interaction in the development of reasoning, and that is an essential part of every lesson I conduct. During my early years of teaching, I was following a traditional style in which the classroom is teacher-centered. Today, my practices and theory of teaching have been altered completely for the advantage of my students. I found that when I incorporated more teacher-student interaction, my students were able to grow and become independent learners and thinkers.

For example, I now begin class by asking students questions, which starts a discussion and creates a safe environment for students to share their opinions and ideas. With this increased level of interactivity, students are constructing knowledge in a meaningful way. Also, I found that when I include more social interaction, my students developed more as learners but more importantly as thinkers. The next step to social interaction is knowing the students' abilities and what can be achieved. Our goals as teachers must be realistic and feasible in an allotted timeframe. Vygotsky's zone of proximal development acts as a guide for what can be taught and what a student can learn, which I will discuss further in the next section.