- In 1917, he earned a law degree from Moscow State University, where he also studied sociology, linguistics, psychology, and philosophy. (Cherry, 2025)

- Vygotsky died aged 37 from tubercolosis

Cherry, K. (2025). Lev Vygotsky’s Life and Theories. [online] Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/lev-vygotsky-biography-2795533 [Accessed 6 Oct. 2026].

Childcare Studies (n.d.) The Lev Vygotsky education approach. Available at: https://childcarestudies.co.uk/blog/the-lev-vygotsky-education-approach/(Accessed: 6 October 2026).

Gowrie NSW (n.d.) Lev Vygotsky's Theory of Child Development. Available at: https://www.gowriensw.com.au/thought-leadership/vygotsky-theory (Accessed: 6 October 2026).

Johnson, J. (2025) Vygotsky’s More Knowledgeable Other. Playvolution HQ, 20 February 2025. Available at: https://playvolutionhq.com/vygotskys-more-knowledgeable-other/ (Accessed: 6 October 2026).

Main, P. (2022) ‘Vygotsky’s Theory in Practice: the ZPD and Scaffolding’, Structural Learning, 18 October. Available at: https://www.structural-learning.com/post/vygotskys-theory (Accessed: 6 October 2026).

Psychology Exposed (2025). Vygotsky’s Theory Explained. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROJBOysE5uM [Accessed 6 Oct. 2026].

The Zone of Proximal Development

• Vygotsky believed that children learn best with a little bit of help beyond their abilities. For example guding them through something that they are struggling with. This can be achieved by step-by step support by an adult where the child can gain confidence.

  
  

  Scaffolding

• An example of this is helping a child sound out letters when reading and the child putting the sounds together to understand the word.

More Knowledgeable Other

• The More Knowledgable Other (MKO) is a critical part of Vygotsky's approach. MKO'S are identified as a teacher or an additional practitioner, a parent or career. These are the people that children tend to look up to.

Johnson, J. (2025)

Main (2022) explains that Vygotsky’s theory focuses on how social interaction, language and culture influence learning.

Psychology Exposed (2025)