Portfolios and Vygotsky

What might portfolios and Vygotsky have in common? Or more exactly, what type of portfolio would have resonated with his beliefs about teaching and learning. While the “book” you are about to explore examines Vygotsky and portfolios in light of one specific curricular area (2nd language teaching), it does help illustrate a practical application of his theories. It is also an example of what happens when a Masters student (Ms. Griffith-Zahner) uses imaginative education principles to explore Vygotsky’s theories.

Vygotsky’s Portfolio 2nd Edition

Question: According to Vygotsky (1978), “[e]very function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals” (p.57).

How does this idea influence how we design learning activities (on-line or f2f) for learners (whether they be young children or adults)?

Reference:

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press