Vygotskys Theory

of Cognitive
Development
( External Forces Behind Our
Cognitive and Behavioral
Development )

Who Has Made an Impact in Your Life?

How Did They Affect Your Life?

Who has made a difference in your life?

Parent
Neighbor
Older Sibling
Coach

What was it about their mediation that made

such an affect your life?

Time spent
Conversations
The activities done together

Mediated Learning Experience

(MLE)

An idea by Reuven Feuerstein (1980) to

elaborate on Vygotskys theory

Learning situation in which an adult or

older child indirectly helps a child learn by
explaining events in the environment, but
without directly teaching some lesson.
Educational Psychology
by Robert J. Sternberg & Wendy M. Williams

Who/Where Would you Be Today, If they

Had Never Been Involved In Your Life?

A recent study published in Child Trends Research

Brief (Mentoring: A promising strategy for youth
Development, February 2002, S. Jekielek, MA et al.)
indicated that ..

mentoring produced improvements in

the area of Health and Safety
(reduction of negative behaviors) and
Social and Emotional Development
(positive social attitudes and
relationships).

Where/Who Would You Be? (cont.)

A study conducted by medical researchers/writers for

the ARCH Pediatric Adolescent MED/VOL 154, (The
Potential Role of an Adult Mentor in Influencing HighRisk Behaviors in Adolescents) found that mentoring
produces the following results:

Adolescents with mentors were

significantly less likely to smoke,
carry a weapon, have sexual
intercourse with multiple partners, or
illicitly use drugs.

Where/Who Would You Be? (cont.)

A separate study by Jean Baldwin Grossman and Amy W.
Johnson, (Assessing the Effectiveness of Mentoring
Programs), mentoring was found to impact the youth in
the following areas, so that youth were:

Less likely to skip school

More likely to have a higher GPA
Less likely to start using drugs
More likely to go on to higher
education