| How might we find out about a child’s capacity to learn? |
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The Russian psychologist Vygotsky was convinced that what children can achieve when assisted by an adult says more about their capacity to learn in the future than how they perform in IQ tests  . Vygotsky experimented with giving children tests with and without support. The results showed that children learned much more when they received structured support from an adult.
Evidence and reflection
You may like to explore notions of ‘intelligence’, ‘ability’ and capacity to learn further. One way of doing this would be to listen actively for any use of language which denotes intelligence and ability that you come across over a week or so. The sources could come from school (from discussion with teachers, parents, non-teaching staff or children) from printed articles in newspapers and the educational press, from school or government documents. You could record the statements and the context in which they occur.
When you have a collection of statements, you could consider:
Moving forward
You may like to monitor your own use of language, by being explicitly aware of the words and concepts which you use. Are you careful to distinguish between abilities and attainments, learning and performance? Are you accurate and impartial in your thinking about your pupils’ current capacities and future potential? You may also like to consider whether you build in sufficient support to help move each child beyond their current level of understanding. Find out more  Vygotsky, L.S. (1978) Mind in Society, The Development of Higher Psychological Processes Massachusetts/London: Harvard University Press
A summary of Vygotsky’s work is available on the GTC’s Research of the Month website at: http://www.gtce.org.uk/research/romtopics/rom_teachingandlearning/vygotsky1/ |
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