Lesson 3 - Vygotky's Sociocultural Development

Presentation of Theoretical Construct

 

Lecture Information: Private Speech

Vygotsky believed that private speech actually was an intellectually healthy act for a person.  Since he believes that social interaction is essential to efficient, broad, and meaningful cognitive development.  Private speech, or more casually referred to as "talking to yourself", functions as a form of socially interacting with yourself when there is a need for special care, consideration or caution and there is no opportunity to bounce ideas off of someone else.  In this kind of uniquely resourceful way, humans have invented a method for satisfying a profound need.  Vygotsky would propose that "talking to yourself" is a net positive for the learner indeed a necessary step in normal cognitive processing.  This is in direct contrast to Piaget's view of talking to yourself in the form of "collective monologues" where Piaget saw an inability, ego centric view of the world, Vygotsky sees a purely human and ingenious invention that  helps people develop further cognitive capacities.  Vygotsky would probably go so far as to say that self-talk can be used productively as a teaching tool along the lines of something like, "Okay, now, just talk your way through the steps of solving for a single variable.."  Below is a discussion of how self talk functions for learners as well as a discussion of the characteristics.

Functions of "Self-Talk"
There are basically three functions of self-talk for learners:

1. Self-Regulation - This is when you hear learners mumbling, "Ooh, ooh not too close..." as they draw their favorite motorcycle, dress, or cartoon character.  They are using it to control their behavior with greater attention to detail, quality or technique. 

2. Self-Evaluation - This is a very common function of self-talk.  It is occurring when you see the learner take their hand and smack themselves in the forehead saying, "I can't BELIEVE I did that!"  It is not always self punishment, but it often is.  It is possible to interpret the fist punch in the air with the saying of "YES!" as a kind of self congratulation. 

3. Self-Instruction - This occurs mostly during project work when the learner is problem-solving in the middle of the construction saying something like, "Okay, that didn't work because it was too hot for the modeling clay..."  The learner is providing a feedback loop for the situation and trying to process cause/effect, notation of details, or generating new strategies. 

Characteristic of "Self-Talk"
There are two major characteristics of self-talk for learners:

1. Self-Talk is noticeably more audible in children 3-5 years of age than in adults.  In children, a teacher will notice that kindergarteners talking to themselves are a fairly common occurrence while a high school English teacher might see it much more infrequently.  That does not mean that as learners mature they don't utilize self-talk.  It means that the self-talk becomes more internalized and inaudible.  It becomes that "little voice inside your head."

2. It is also interesting to note that self-talk becomes more frequent and more audible as the perceived stress level increases.  As the learner's perception of potential danger rises the more they talk to themselves.  You often see student talking to themselves before oral presentations, during final examinations, and during high stakes evaluations.  This can also be a very useful diagnostic for teachers.  As you are observing your class, when you see a student talking to themselves, often you can surmise something about the stress level that the student is experiencing.  You might be able to keep your "finger on the pulse" more effectively because of this knowledge.

 

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