Life-long learning...

To this day, Piaget's works are held in high regard, yet it is widely acknowledged that his theories are more relevant when complemented with those of Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky believed that individual development could not be understood without reference to the social and cultural context in which development occurs. He did not see development as progressing in fixed stages, but more in a life-long accumulative manner.

Vygotsky introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development . This can be understood as the gap between what one is wanting to teach and the state of development presenting itself in the learner in that area. A good teacher will be able to adequately meet this gap by extending the learner in a realistic yet enticing way.

Vygotsky saw play as a fundamental formative form of learning:"A child's greatest achievements are possible in play, achievements that tomorrow will become her basic level of real action." In this aspect, his ideas are highly compatible with those expressed by Steiner. The Waldorf plea to "keep the hood on childhood" is a heartfelt recognition of the value of children's play.

The importance of social interaction was strongly emphasised by Vygotsky."Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level and, later on, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological)." Social interaction includes teacher interaction. An enthusiastic , dedicated mentor who affirms, guides, build bridges, as well as allowing for mistakes and experimentation is vital for inspired learning.Vygotsky's theories have had an enormous influence in the shift from isolated to socially connected learning environments.

Language was seen by Vygotsky as crucial in its function for structuring a child's thought processes and social behaviour."Words play a central part not only in the development of thought but in the historical growth of consciousness as a whole. A word is a microcosm of human consciousness."This aspect of his theories strikes a strong chord with Steiner teachers who work consistently and artistically in developing both language and speech.

Understanding constructivist theories is in some ways, for those working with Steiner education, like finding a framework to describe what one is instinctively doing anyway. Or, as von Glaserfeld said:

"Constructivism does not claim to have made earth-shaking inventions in the area of education; it merely claims to provide a solid conceptual basis for some of the things that, until now, inspired teachers had to do without theoretical foundation. "
von Glasersfeld
see: Summary: http://www.cdli.ca/~elmurphy/emurphy/cle6.html