ABSTRACT
The chapter describes the connections between the major principles of the Vygotskian approach and the relatively new discipline of educational neuropsychology with its emphasis on executive functions. The chapter uses Vygotsky’s own writing as well as the work of his close colleague Alexander Luria to explain the links between the concept of higher mental functions introduced in Chapter 2 and the principle of their dynamic localization in the brain. Next, this principle, supported by current research findings, is used to criticize some “neuromyths” frequently affecting the classroom practices of today’s early childhood educators. Later in this chapter, the concept of a psychological system is illustrated using an example of executive functions, followed by the implications of the Vygotsky-Luria approach to brain development for the design of instructional interventions aimed at the development of executive functions.
