Lev Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist whose ideas significantly influenced education and psychology. He believed that social interactions and language play a crucial role in learning and cognitive development. According to his constructivist perspective, children construct knowledge through dialogue and collaboration with others. Vygotsky also proposed that language shapes thought, aligning with linguistic relativism, which suggests our language influences how we perceive the world. His concept of the Zone of Proximal Development emphasizes the importance of guided learning, where children can achieve more with support than they could alone, highlighting the relational aspect of knowledge building.