Education in Vygotsky: practice and way to freedom

Abstract

The article analyzes formulations by L. S. Vigotski (1896-1934) in the field of education, in an articulated and historically situated way with the set of the author’s work, aiming to highlight the notion of education for freedom present in his theorization and to outline possible implications of this conception for contemporary school education. The first section discusses the social genesis of personality in Vygotsky’s view, as a way to freedom. In the second section, the author’s concept of education is presented, such as human education and instruction. In the third section, the relationship between instruction and the development of the conscious personality is discussed and some possibilities for the realization of education as a practice and way to freedom in the contemporary school are presented. It is concluded that the concept of education as a practice and a way to freedom, formulated by Vigotski and not always made explicit by scholars of the author’s work, can contribute to the realization of a critical and emancipatory education.