Modules 7 & 21: Blog 3, Post 2

You read about grouping practices in Module 21. The following clip shows a WELL KNOWN example of a group of EXTREMELY different kinds of people coming together in a shared experience, in which they obviously learn SOMETHING. Would Piaget or Vygotsky recommend extreme diverse (by age, past experience, development, culture, etc) grouping for students? Why (be specific, please)? Are certain kinds of diversity more beneficial than others for learning?

I feel that Vygotsky would recommend extreme diverse grouping for students. In his theory, he outlines the importance cultural factors bring to cognitive development. He emphasized the role of social interactions in development of cognitive processes. One metaphor he created was the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The zone includes all possible skills a child can develop and perform with the help of someone more cognitively advanced. He explains that interaction with more capable individuals (peers or adults, in this case peers) creates a zone for optimal learning. Within this zone, the child and the more capable peer bridge the cognitive gap by engaging in construction of knowledge (intersubjectivity). Here they both understand and adjust to each others' skills and perspectives, creating a co-partnership. From this experience, the child can master internalization and the more capable peer can learn from facilitating the cognitive abilities. Vygotsky emphasizes the importance of this interaction and the cognitive development that comes from this. Like the video, this is the same situation. A group of peers are put together and are forced to work together. Though they all come from different back grounds, cliques, cultures, and cognitive zones, they learn from one another. It takes 2 students working together to construct knowledge. Whether they are learning about math, the game of soccer, or life situations, they are bridging the gap and understanding the differences among themselves that are required to facilitate learning.

As far as diversity, the more diverse a group is, the more opportunities for construction of knowledge to take place. Working with others from different cultures, age groups, cognitive development zones, and past experiences can facilitate learning more adequately than can individuals whom are similar. Diversity creates and stimulates learning for both parties involved. As Vygotsky explains, bridging the gap is crucial to understand each others' perspectives and to be able to learn from what each other have to offer. In the Breakfast Club, the jock, the rebel, the beauty, the brains, and the reckless all learn from one another; whether it is socially or academically, the diversity among them create an atmosphere where learning can develop.