Since the early 1900’s psychologists have developed theories about how the human brain develops and how humans learn. Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood (Wells, 2011). There are many factors that play vital roles in how we learn, some of which are intelligence, reasoning and memory.
There are different theories as to how children learn. Some believe that babies are born with the ability to pay attention, sort information and develop perception. Jean Piaget believed that children develop cognitively through schemes that are constructed through trail and error. On the other hand, Russian Psychologist, Lev Vygotsky believed that children learn about their surroundings through speech. In essence, they talk their way though puzzling situations and problems.
Piaget believed that children learn through organization and schemes and that learning was biologically connected. According to this theory, children organize ideas into schemes. When new information comes along, they incorporate it into the ‘schemes’ that they already know. If there isn’t an existing scheme, the information is organized into a ‘new’ scheme, therefore, they are accommodating for the new information. All of the information that is stored is kept in check by what Piaget referred to this as equilibration which is how the human brain balances information against reality. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is a constant process of organizing, assimilating, adapting and re-organizing. Vygotsky saw a connection between experiences, speech and learning. He theorized that children learn through language and social inter...
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...the classroom. No matter which theory a teacher follows, he/she should create a positive learning environment and take an active role in the education of their students.
Works Cited
McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2007). Child development and education (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Shuell, T. (n.d.). Cognitive Development. Home | UB Graduate School of Education. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://gse.buffalo.edu/fas/shuell/cep564/lectures/cogdev.htm
Waring, P. (n.d.). Home. Â Psychology4A. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from http://psychology4a.com/develop4.htm
Wells, K. (n.d.). Cognitive Development - stages, meaning, average, Definition, Description, Common problems. Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy Through Adolescence. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.healthofchildren.com/C/Cognitive-Development.html
Piaget and Vygotsky each created their own particular ideas of child development. Piaget differentiated development into four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, operational, and concrete. Conversely, Vygotsky based his theory of development on the fundamental ideas that children construct knowledge, learning can prompt development, development cannot be differentia...
In chapter one, cognitive development was briefly discussed and now in chapter 5 it goes a little deeper. One of the first names that comes to mind when thinking of cognitive development is Piaget. Piaget’s theory is described as constructivist view to cognitive development. A constructivist view is that people create or “construct” their own view and knowledge of the world by the information they already know. They view life through the experiences and knowledge they already obtain. The essential building block to Piaget’s theory is schemes which are patterns of physical or mental action. Throughout life people just build on the schemes when they experience something new they relate it an old experience. An example would be an animal that
Methods and approaches to teaching have been greatly influenced by the research of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Both have contributed to the field of education by offering explanations for children's cognitive learning styles and abilities. While Piaget and Vygotsky may differ on how they view cognitive development in children, both offer educators good suggestions on how to teach certain material in a developmentally appropriate manner.
Both Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that children's cognitive development took place in stages. (Jarvis, Chandler 2001 P.149). However they were distinguished by different styles of thinking. Piaget was the first t reveal that children reason and think differently at different periods in their lives. He believed that all children progress through four different and very distinct stages of cognitive development. This theory is known as Piaget’s Stage Theory because it deals with four stages of development, which are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. (Ginsburg, Opper 1979 P. 26).
Piaget versus Vygotsky: Similarities and Differences This paper explores the ideas of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Exploring their philosophies and how they impact us today. The two scholarly articles show similarities and differences in their works and explore what they each mean. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two of the most influential philosophers in the field of cognitive development.
The processes which explain how development transpires can be described as mechanisms of development. Although Piaget and Vygotsky both focused their theories on cognitive development, the mechanisms needed to develop cognition differ for each theorist. Piaget focused on the mechanisms of cognitive organization, adaptation, and equilibration. Vygotsky, on the other hand, focused on a dialectical process, cultural tools, Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), scaffolding, internalization, and private/inner speech. For Piaget, cognitive organization entails the tendency for thought to have structures in which information and experiences are then labeled into schemas (Miller, 2011). Schemas allow humans to organize categories of information they
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The similarities in the theories, including the development perspective and dialectical approach, are very complex and focus upon the fundamentals of each theory. The differences in each theory make them very unique, including the autonomous and heteronomous approaches for each respective theory. The four cognitive stages of Piaget’s theory, including sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations, provide a clear, effective progression of an individual’s development path from infancy to adulthood. This is very unique to Piaget’s theory and is utilized immensely in academic studies of psychology. The fundamental aspects of Vygotsky’s theory, including cultural and historical factors contributing to the individual’s development is also very unique and is regularly utilized in academic studies. Without the research that each theorist conducted and presented, the psychology studies that we know today would not be the same. The work of both respective theorists will continue to be utilized in academia and in psychology for many years to
Even though Piaget didn’t believe in the significance of inputs that could be acquired from the environment, but yet Vygotsky was very confident that children that children where very acknowledgeable of the inputs from their environment around them. Piaget’s cognitive development theory has four stages to it. His first stage was the sensorimotor stages which happens from birth until a child is two years old. This stages infants rely solely on their reflexes like rooting and sucking. Preoperational stage is the 2nd stage and it happen from the age of 2years old up until a child is 7 years of age, and during this stage children feel as if everyone thinks like they do. His 3rd stage is known as the concrete operational stage, that occurs when children are 7-11 years of age and during this stage children will start to feel a lot of improvement in their thinking. Piaget’s last stage was known as the formal operational stage, and at this stage children are able to understand and recognize symbols, and master abstract thinking. Children are also have the ability to solve intricate problems on their own. And even in contrast, Vygotsky assumed that there are no set of phases. And even in contrast Vygotsky thought that there was no set of phrase for children. But he felt that private speech was way more essential to the aid for children when they are thinking about an issue they are having/ going through. Private speech can be internalized sooner or later, but it’s something that never goes away. Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky didn’t think that the development could be detached from social context while children can create knowledge and lead their
The Critique of Piaget's Theories Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980) was a constructivist theorist. He saw children as constructing their own world, playing an active part in their own development. Piaget’s insight opened up a new window into the inner working of the mind and as a result he carried out some remarkable studies on children that had a powerful influence on theories of child thought. This essay is going to explain the main features and principles of the Piagetian theory and then provide criticism against this theory. Cognitive development refers to way in which a person’s style of thinking changes with age.
In conclusion, I have discussed cognitive development as it relates to the mental aging process of infancy through adolescence. As instructed in the assignment outline, I chose the following three cognitive functions; thinking, intelligence, and language. To the best of my knowledge, I briefly discussed each function based on the information outlined in the text. I also attempted to discuss Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development as they relate to the infancy stage through adolescence throughout the lifespan.
I know that as I grow and learn as a teacher my theory on education will change and grow with me. I know that the best thing that I can bring to the table when it comes to being a teacher is the willingness to learn along with my students on what works best for us in our classroom, what is important to us when it comes to learning, and to change what needs to be change in order to have a positive learning environment for my student. The most important thing as a teacher I will bring with me into my classroom is the unwavering desire to help to guide, shape, and above all foster a love of learning in my
Wood, A. E., Wood, E. G., & Boyd, D. (2007). Child development: The world of psychology.
Piaget And Vygotsky are two new psychologist that forces on the influential theory of cognitive development. Cognitive development is the growth of mental abilities from early childhood to the adult age. This process can help children learn about life skills and language to have a better cognitive development. They both took roles in children, roles of people in society to develop different skills. Both theories affect education in various ways for substantial growth. In this essay, I will focus on the difference in each approach, similarities and gain the better understanding of each theory standpoint.
Piaget’s Cognitive theory represents concepts that children learn from interactions within the world around them. He believed that children think and reason at different stages in their development. His stages of cognitive development outline the importance of the process rather the final product. The main concept of this theory reflects the view th...