Prompt 6 theorist: Vygotsky

Teachers should be sensitive to the students language issues. By being sensitive and taking time to help students become more fluent with the English barrier students will learn the language better. In my classroom the teacher is very sensitive to the students needs. She understands that not everyone speaks English at home. Although I have not heard any accents from the students when speaking, I think she might have because she gives verbal reading assessments. When I asked her about the assessments she told me she doesn't grade based on the way the say something she grades based on their knowledge of the subject. She seems very kind and understanding to their language barriers. She also understands that these students come from low income families. She realizes that they can't always afford to buy the materials needed for class. She goes out and buys them for her students. She gives them pencils, folders, and any other material she may need. They end up costing her a lot of money. She also understands that these students have a different background then her. They have different values at home which come out in the classroom. At home homework isn't valued so the teacher has to work twice as hard to make students participate in classwork in school. She also has to work to make a good class culture that values participation, hard work, and finishing classwork. The teacher and the students need to interact with each other and become partners in learning. They need to develop relationships with each other to see what the other person values.
Vygotsky believes in two different planes for learning. He believes learning is first social then become psychological. If the student and teacher are interacting with each other to become partners in learning and coming up with shared values they will take these values and internalizing them. These students will have a better chance of learning and become active parts of the classroom. They will have shared values and help each other learn. I hope this is the type of classroom I have, one where the students and I both participate in creating values and the course syllabus. These are part of the ideas Vygotsky discussed in his article. Although his article was with children with disabilities it also applies to children without disabilities. Every child needs these two planes to help learn. They need to start learning with social situations and then it becomes part of the psychological learning.