Vygotsky/Module 21 Post 1

Module 21 was all about grouping. Homogeneous groups are groups where all the members are at the same ability level or have similar attributes. Heterogeneous groups are groups where the members are at different abilities levels or have different attributes. There are various ways students can be grouped. Grouping by ability groups students into homogeneous groups by ability. Grouping can happen in a contained classroom or across a multiple grade levels in a school. Cooperative learning happens when students work together in groups. Cooperative learning can be very effective and can help student gain motivation, interpersonal skills, leadership, and effectiveness.

My question for this module is which types of grouping are most common in schools and are there any controversial types of grouping?

Vygotsky believed that social interactions were crucial to development. His theory differs from Piaget because he believed that learning tends to occur before development. Vygotsky believes that there is a zone of proximal development that includes a child’s present knowledge and the potential the child has to learn with the help of others. Others can help children learn through scaffolding and other psychological and cultural tools.

Vygotsky would probably use heterogeneous groups and cooperative learning because he would want the students will less ability to get guidance from the more capable students.

Vygotsky’s beliefs about learning and development are different from Piaget because Vygotsky believes that learning precedes development and Piaget believes the opposite. Vygotsky focuses more on social interactions where Piaget believes in a more structured stages approach.

I am being influenced because I am responding to a prompt provided by my teacher. I am using resources such as my book and notes provided by my teacher. I also use my fellow classmates to learn when I read their posts and try to answer their questions.