ABSTRACT
The chapter begins by explaining the key concept of the Vygotskian approach: the concept of mental tools. The purpose of mental tools is examined both from short-term and long-term perspectives with an emphasis on the tools children learn to use during early childhood. The work of post-Vygotsky scholars is used to discuss the potential of technology-based mental tools that were not known during Vygotsky’s lifetime. The second section of this chapter defines lower and higher mental functions and lists the major differences between these two sets of mental functions. The third section describes how higher mental functions develop and the role of mental tools in this development. The fourth section focuses on the individual differences in the development of lower as well as higher mental functions. The final section of the chapter introduces the Vygotskian approach to special education and explains how addressing higher mental functions via the introduction of special mental tools helps to prevent the development of secondary disabilities.
