READ THE PARAGRAPH BELOW AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

Question no. 1 Vygotsky believed that social interaction plays a critical role in children's learning. using the case study attached, describe how child's social interactions support her through a continuous process of learning.

Question no. 2 using Vygotsky's theory: Zone of Proximal Development describe how as an early childhood educator would scaffold this child's learning from actual developmental level to potential developmental level (use ELECT to support you)

Question no. 3 Remember to be specific about how you describe early childhood educator role in this process as the educator and more knowledgeable other (MKO) as per the Vygotsky theory.

Mercedes is a 3-year-old girl who lives with her 5-year-old step brother, Quin and her aunt and uncle who are both artists. They all live together in a low socioeconomic neighbourhood in Toronto. Mercedes has been diagnosed with a mild hearing loss from birth, and her social worker has disclosed that as a newborn Mercedes sustained a head injury that was not medically treated in a timely manner. Her family recently enrolled Mercedes in an early learning program on a full-time basis. Records of Mercedes birth process indicate that the experience was very smooth however she has dealt with stress and trauma when both of her parents died in a car accident when she was just 2 years of age. Mercedes was in the accident and sustained a broken leg however, survived. Mercedes birth mother smoked throughout the entire pregnancy and drank small amounts of alcohol on occasion. In Mercedes biological family there is a history of both hearing and vision loss. Mercedes was breastfed and struggled to gain weight as a young infant and struggled with connecting with adults. Every weekend as a young child she had a different sitter watching her due to her biological parents working as musicians. Mercedes' aunt and uncle describe her relationship with her older step brother Quin as 'protective of her'. He looks out for her, and spends a lot of time reading to her. When new people enter the house Mercedes is very reserved, quiet and cautious and will not engage in interactions even with her step brother's coaxing and support. When they are alone, however, Mercedes is often seen imitating Quin, communicating with him and watching his every move. Since beginning at the child care centre, RECEs have noticed that Mercedes typically engages in solitary play and will talk to herself. She spends most of her time in the creative expression and dramatic play area, where she dresses up, plays with her dolls and will sing songs all alone. She is sometimes observed trying to enter into play with other children but these interactions don't typically last long due to her limited verbal communication and short attention span. Her aunt and uncle told the educators that Mercedes struggles to communicate and it is really hard to understand her speech. She points a lot and will give up quickly if asked too many times to repeat herself. Case Study 2 Her caregivers, as well as her educators, would like to see her play in a more prosocial way with her peers. Her caregivers take her to summer day camps and are thinking about play groups at the Early Learning Center as the next option, however they often find themselves having to constantly intervene as Mercedes will bite children or pull their hair withdraws when she feels she is ignored. She struggles to understand when people/sitters redirect her and say 'How would you feel if you had your hair pulled?" She has had many babysitters who use the word "No" as they believe it is quick, concise and should be easy for her to understand due to her limited communication. RECEs describe Mercedes as 'passive'. She is very cautious when new materials or new people are in the playroom environment. When Mercedes is faced with a problemsolving situation, she responds by putting her head down on the floor and by crying quietly and will do so for long periods of time if she is left alone. Mercedes does not express concern or sadness when her caregivers drop her off, and she maintains her focus on the task at hand when they return to pick her up. It is almost like she is not aware of their presence. Mercedes is beginning to show a preference for one of the RECEs in her playroom and will sometimes seek this caregiver if she is sick, hurt or upset. Mercedes is very attached to her stuffed piggy, which she calls BB, and does not like this stuffed animal to be out of vision. When talking about herself, she will often introduce BB and will talk in first person "me" in place of "I", to exclaim things like, "Me do!". Mercedes often sits in the block area with BB and a picture book flipping through the pages until the educator tells her "Books go in the book center and blocks stay in the block center." She gets very upset and can't be calmed down and then the experience stops for her of playing. During small group time of about 3 other children, Mercedes is very engaged. She sometimes demonstrates focus when using paint colours and refuses to use paint brushes and would rather use her fingers. Mercedes also sings some of the words to familiar songs and is very expressive when songs and finger rhymes are coupled with bodily movements. Mercedes is very attentive and expressive when the curriculum in the playroom focuses on farm animals, babies, and dolls. Mercedes is visited by a Speech and Language Pathologist, Dr. Chow, weekly. The therapist is working on her expressive language. She currently has an expressive vocabulary of four hundred words and she typically communicates in two word utterances. Her caregivers have informed the child care centre that the Pathologist has told them to use encouragement to reinforce the language concepts that Dr. Chow is working on with Mercedes and to include Quin when she is frustrated to assist her to calm down when upset. Mercedes thrives in the outdoor environment, and seems to enjoy gross motor activities. When getting ready for outdoor play she requires a long time to gather her belongings as she is not yet able to manipulate the buttons on her coat, and has not yet learned to tie her shoes but she can put them on independently. Mercedes' caregivers have shared that they have been practicing with Mercedes and her stuffed piggy to do up buttons, and tie laces. They also practice with creative materials such as beads and string. Mercedes is able to manipulate zippers, snaps and Velcro closures with efficiency. Mercedes' caregivers have disclosed that they do not often allow Mercedes to play outside as they worry about her getting dirty and/or hurt. Instead of outdoor play they often watch TV, or sometimes play board games. Mercedes most special 'home times' are when her biological cousins come to visit and they celebrate customs and practices that reflect her biological family's Spanish heritage. You will start with a heading in bold that says Vygotsky Theory. You will have approximately two pages.