Theories can be described as lenses through which to understand how children learn and develop. Sociocultural theories originate from the work of Lev Vygotsky in Russia, and the ideas have been developed further by other researchers and theorists, for example, Bruner and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theories.   

A common idea underpinning all the different sociocultural theories is that human development is a social and cultural process. Learning occurs in relationships with people, places, and things, and is influenced by involvement in social and cultural activities that are valued by those around them. Here, the term “culture” means more than ethnicity. It refers to all the values, understandings, and practices associated with all the contexts children experience. Sociocultural theories are strong in te ao Māori and in Pacific cultures, who understand learning as interrelated in many ways across many contexts. 

Sociocultural theories recognise that: 

• Children’s worlds – including their development – are shaped by the people, interactions, and environment around them. 
• Children are active creators of knowledge – they construct and modify their understandings through their experiences and social interactions.
• Learning occurs within the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The zone is the difference between what a child can do alone and what they can do with support and guidance from another.
• Knowledge comes from thought (gifted from Atua) which is processed through experiences (through senses) and then through kōrero (with another or others).
• Sustained shared thinking can only happen through the meeting of more than one mind. 

Within sociocultural theory, learning is not confined to specific spaces, places, or times. Learning includes what happens in an early childhood service, at home, and in the community (this includes the virtual communities children may be part of).  

Over time, children build understandings of identity and belonging. These understandings are about themselves and where they fit in the world. 

Sociocultural theory highlights the role whānau and community play in children’s learning and development. When kaiako seek to understand all that a child ‘comes with’, they can build on the prior understandings and experiences of children. 

Engaging in talanoa (conversations) enables kaiako to build and strengthen relationships between children and kaiako, whānau and kaiako, and early learning services and communities.  

Talanoa refers to two or more people who meet face-to-face to discuss and share. It is through and during these meetings that two or more people make connections for courageous talanoa to occur and establish mutual engagement.  

While this concept relates specifically to a Samoan way of knowing, a generic framework of mutual engagement and interweaving people and dialogue is familiar to diverse groups of Pacific peoples. Talanoa is a powerful way of constructing, deconstructing, and reconstructing knowledge (Paleai-Foroti & Kesi, 2015). 

With whānau, kaiako can determine priorities for teaching and learning and feel confident that their choices are well informed.  

Sociocultural theories and learning 

By being aware of sociocultural theories, kaiako can understand the significance of the following: 

The role of kaiako is apparent in the word “ako” – where teaching and learning are understood as inextricably linked. Ako does not assume the kaiako is all-knowing or that learning is a one-way process. A kaiako may also learn from the child. By working alongside the child, the child actually teaches the kaiako how to respond to their learning needs. Talanoa (sharing and discussing) provides opportunities to engage in situations where ako can occur with whānau and the community, as well as tamariki.  

Kaiako who draw on sociocultural perspectives plan to maximise children’s opportunities to learn in their zone of proximal development through local curriculum design. This requires intentional teaching strategies that find out what and how tamariki are learning through observation, discussion with others (tamariki, whānau, and other teachers), and reflecting on children’s assessed learning over time. 

Intentional teaching strategies often associated with sociocultural approaches are: 

• tuakana/teina – learning from more experienced peers 
• co-construction – a collaboration between tamariki and kaiako   
• scaffolding – gradually fading learning support within the zone of proximal development 
• building on and linking to prior experiences  
• foregrounding the child’s learning agenda 
• creating links between settings (early learning service, home, and community environments) 
• cultural responsiveness  
• a focus on local curriculum.