Chapter 9: Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory: Key Concepts, Common Misconceptions, and Classroom Applications

Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory (1978, 1997) is familiar to many preservice teachers (PSTs) and teacher educators, due to its consistent inclusion in textbooks and coursework in educational and developmental psychology. Given the ongoing relevance of Vygotsky's theory, teacher educators not only have the opportunity to teach about Vygotskian constructs, but also to apply Vygotskian principles in their own work with preservice teachers, modeling the effective implementation of these practices for PSTs. This approach is consistent with the idea that, as PSTs are learning how to teach, they should at the same time be learning how to learn (Dembo, 2001), and that improved awareness of educational psychology principles will benefit PSTs in multiple ways. In this chapter, we highlight key concepts from Vygotsky's theory (e.g., cultural tools, the zone of proximal development), note related misconceptions that are prevalent in educational psychology texts and/or among PSTs, and discuss the implications of each construct for educator preparation and PSTs’ future classroom practice, particularly as it relates to inclusive classroom practices.