Constructivist approach of Vygotsky for innovative trends in learning and teaching

Abstract

“The teacher must adopt the role of facilitator not content provider.” Lev S. VygotskyThe goals of education and the objectives of teaching learning process presently have undergone a tremendous change in view of the societal make-over and technological advancements. The focus has now shifted to learner centered strategies from just acquiring the mere knowledge and increasing scores on literacy rate. Learning occurs when the learner constructs his own knowledge mechanisms for learning based on his experiences, aptitude and ability. The work of Lev Vygotsky (1934) has become the foundation of much research and theory in cognitive development over the past several decades, particularly of what has become known as “Social Development Theory”. Vygotsky's theories stress the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition, and places its belief strongly that community plays a central role in the process of“ making meaning”. Vygotsky theory of cognitive development of learners is relevant to instructional concepts such as