1. What evidence do you see in your field experience of specific teacher behaviors that are related to Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural cognitive development? Specifically address the use of More Knowledgeable Other(s), how the teacher determines the students' Zones of Proximal Development, the types of scaffolding/assisted learning provided, how the teacher helps students internalize the information, the types of cultural and technological tools used, etc.
The teacher that I observed in my field experience exhibited incredible proficiency as the MKO in her resource classroom. She knew when to use the ZPD while teaching math and reading lessons to her students. She seemed to have a great grasp on the importance of the language that she chose to use in her teaching. She scaffolded the text very effectively, giving the students assistance with their learning objectives that were slightly above their area of comfort and then gradually letting the students take more control of their own learning as they felt more comfortable with the task they were given.
2. What are the students' needs in this area? What more could or should be done?
The students in the elementary resource class that I observed were in grades fourth through sixth grades. The students needed varying degrees of help in math, reading, and writing. There were a few students that only needed assistance with one subject and a few who needed a "double dose" of one subject. The teacher was so organized and she knew each student so well that I'm not sure what more she could have, or should have done.
3. How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson?
When I taught my math lesson to the students, I was careful to take each student's needs into account. I used differentiation for one student was farther behind the others in the class by writing single digit math problems in his journal for him to solve. I wrote 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication problems on the white board and I taught the students the "box method" for solving the problems. As the MKO, I used appropriate language and I was conscious of the students and their individual needs as they solved the problems. I made sure to use the ZPD in my lesson so the students got the most out of the lesson. I believe that the students were able to learn from the lesson I taught them and the feedback I received from the teacher was positive.
Cite specific examples from your observations as evidence to support your claims and make clear connection to Vygotsky's work. Be thorough in your coverage of the theory, addressing multiple concepts to demonstrate your understanding and use the vocabulary to support your response.
