What children can do with the assistance of others might be in some sense even more indicative of their mental development than what they can do alone
Lev S. VygotskyRead
The child begins to perceive the world not only through his [or her] eyes but also through his [or her] speech
Interpretation
Children learn about the world through both observation and communication.
Lev S. Vygotsky emphasizes the dual nature of children's understanding of their environment, highlighting that perceptions are shaped not only by what they see but also by how they communicate about those experiences. This suggests that language plays a critical role in the cognitive development of children, allowing them to interpret and express their reality in a nuanced way.
In practice
In a classroom setting, a teacher might use this quote to highlight the importance of encouraging students to express their thoughts verbally.
What children can do with the assistance of others might be in some sense even more indicative of their mental development than what they can do alone
It may be said that the basic characteristic of human behavior in general is that humans personally influence their relations with the environment and through that environment personally change their behavior, subjugating it to their control.
Language is the tool of the tools
There is reason to believe that voluntary activity, more than highly developed intellect, distinguishes humans from the animals which stand closest to them.
Thought is not merely expressed in words, it comes into existence through them
The true direction of the development of thinking is not from the individual to the social, but from the social to the individual.
I read. I order books from the States. I literally go into bookstores, close my eyes, and take things off the shelf. If I don't like the book after a bit, I don't finish it. But I like to be surprised.
Happy, calm children learn best
As public schools deteriorate, the upper-middle class and wealthy send their kids to private ones. As public pools and playgrounds decay, the better-off buy memberships in private tennis and swimming clubs. As public hospitals decline, the well-off pay premium rates for private care.
It is the function of a liberal university not to give right answers, but to ask right questions.
So what should we say when children complete a task—say, math problems—quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, “Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s do something you can really learn from!
To maximise global social welfare, policymakers should strongly encourage the diffusion of knowledge from developed to developing countries.
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