Compare and Contrast Using APA Style Humans are, by nature, filled with curiosity. We incessantly seek to learn about the universe. Not surprisingly, we simultaneously strive to learn about ourselves. What is our place in the world? How do we grow into the people we are meant to be? Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky spent their lives constructing theories to explain human growth and development. Both theorists are, today, considered leading contributors to the field of developmental psychology. The purpose of this paper is to explain how a better understanding of Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories will provide you with a better understanding of how we ourselves learn and grow as students in today. This will be accomplished by summarizing, comparing, …show more content…
According to Piaget’s theory of development, we are influenced intrinsically (Lourenco, 2012). We set out create our knowledge of the world using the mental tools available to us at whichever stage of development we are in (Bruner, 1997). As we grow, we test our notions of the world in order to expand our understanding of it. If the results of our experiment support our current notion of the world, we fit this information into our existing conceptual network (1997). Vice versa, if the results differ from our current conceptions of how the world works, our mental network is modified in order to incorporate this knowledge into the network …show more content…
First, both theories believe that a person mentally develops overtime rather than being born with everything they need to know (2012). Secondly, both theorists believe that in order for a person to develop, he or she must be regularly partake in the actions that simulate development (e.g. Piaget states a person must continually test their theories and expand their mental network in order to grow) (2012). Thirdly, both theorists believe a person must act in order to continue developing (2012). In other words, a person will learn nothing if they simply stand by and do nothing as the world passes them by. Finally, rather than focusing on the amount of information learned, both Piaget and Vygotsky focus on the quality of the content learned
Piaget (1936) was the first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development. Piaget placed great importance on the education of children. According to Piaget, children are born with a basic mental structure on which all learning and knowledge is based. They challenge the behaviourist theory as most of their research was done on animals and is missing knowledge. The implications of this theory are that not only should we be interest in the answer the learner gives but also the method of how they got there. I find that due to the gaps in the learner’s education, they may be missing important parts that they have had to find out for themselves these methods are not always the easiest ways of calculating. I try and make it as stress free as possible so will demonstrate other methods that may be easier for them. Piagets theory accepts that children go through the same development stages but that they may go through at different times, I ensure I make effort to cater for these different paces and ensure tasks are differentiated to accommodate this. I am aware however that this theory relates to children’s development, and I work with adults, I can still apply parts of this
clearly. Therefore, much about what experts know about mental and cognitive development is based on the careful observation of developmental theorists and their theories, such as Piaget's theory of cognitive development, which we discussed.
Jean Piaget was one of the most prominent researchers of the 20th century in the field of psychology and human development. He concentrated his attention on the biological influences on the psychological portrait of the person and developmental stages. Piaget pointed out that the development of a person passes through certain stages; each stage can be characterized by specific features. He argued that learning about the world was possible through personal experience. However, his inspiration of developing the idea of cognitive growth and changes of people came while researching child behavior. Moreover, it is important to note that his research was based on the observation of behavior of his own three children (Berlin, Zeanah & Lieberman, 2008).
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.
Piaget’s theory is developed from the idea that the child constructs their knowledge individually whereas Vygotsky argued that children develop tools of learning by communicating with more knowledgeable others (O. Lourenco 2012). Piaget suggested that children develop through a series of four stages in their thinking – the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational stages each of which causes broad changes in the child’s intelligence structure and their logic (reference). These four structures are mental operations which are applied to anything in the child’s world these mental operations are referred to as schemas which grow and change from one stage to the next (book). Vygotsky had very different idea on this subject although they both agreed that the child is the active constructor of their own knowledge
The main difference one can see in their theories is that Piaget is very individualistic when it comes to learning and that Vygotsky is very group oriented. Vygotsky believes in dialogues that, “we socially interact and communicate with others to learn the cultural values of our society.” (Woolfolk, 2004, pg. 2) Vygotsky was a believer in social interaction to help learn. Vygotsky also believed in scaffolding. Scaffolding is a way of learning. Someone provides the learner with clues and hints that helps them with problem solving. This is different from Piaget because it is in that group setting. Lastly there is a zone of Proximity that Vygotsky believes in. This goes along with his group aspect of learning. He believes that one learns better through life interactions. (Woolfolk,
Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two very well-known theorists who emphasized the development of cognition in their theories. In Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental theory, he claimed that children go through a series of stages, which he used to describe human development. In Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Learning, he believed culture and social interaction played a role in cognitive development. Although Piaget and Vygotsky both focused their theories on cognitive development they take different stances a series of developmental issues. This paper will look at the similarities and differences between these theorist’s views on critical developmental issues, such as view of human nature, mechanisms of development, and their
Comparing the Two Theories of Cognitive Development There are three main types of cognitive development. There is Piaget's theory, Vygotsky's theory and the Information processing approach. The two theories that I am going to compare and contrast are Piaget and Vygotsky's theories. There are many differences between these two theories, but there are also many similarities too.
The theory of cognitive development was created by Jean Piaget. Piaget can be classified as both a constructivist and a developmental theorist. This theory describes how the quality of children’s thinking changes over time, and how a child makes a mental model of the world. Piaget disagreed with the idea that intelligence is a fixed trait. Piaget believed that a child’s cognitive development was a process, and that there were four factors that affect the quality of children’s thinking as they grow; as well as four stages of qualitatively different types of thinking through which children progress towards adulthood.
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
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a psychologist who developed a theory that was completely unlike any other psychologists at that time. His idea, called Cognitive Development, stated that the actual chronological age of an adolescent is not as important as the age they experience things, or the experiential age. Cognitive is defined as “the ability to reason, make judgments, and learn” (Gorman & Anwar, 2014). Piaget goes on to describe the importance of coping with the ever-changing environment as an integral part of intelligence, and the next level of developmental stage cannot be obtained until one completes the current stage. Piaget’s Developmental Theory involves four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operations.
Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are arguably two of the most noted and influential developmental psychologists. Their contributions to the field of developmental psychology, while different, also have several similarities. Throughout the following paper, I will discuss some of the similarities and, according to Orlando Laurenco, definitive differences of Piaget and Vygotsky.
This theory of cognitive approach was solely developed Vygotsky. At this time when Vygotsky was developing these theories, Jean Piaget was also developing another theory of cognition. However, the theories have some fundamental differences though they have some converging points that make it difficult to discuss the Vygotsky 's theories without pointing out some major differences between the theories and the once developed by
Piaget and Vygotsky’s biggest differences is their assessments of a child’s progression of development. Piaget believes that development is individual; Vygotsky believes development heavily relies on social aspects. Piaget insisted that learning happens after development, while Vygotsky believed that learning takes place before development can occur. Piaget’s theory has four phases; Vygotsky assumed there were no set stages, only three components. Piaget and Vygotsky both believe that development can be a result of a cognitive conflict. They agree that children are active learners; children learn quickly and development declines with age. In both theories, teachers serve as facilitors and guides.
One hundred years ago, Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a young man developing new insights about learning. He was one of a handful of constructivist-minded writers and educational theorists of the time. Learning theories open educators up to new ideas. They are necessary to expand our knowledge of how learning works. Piaget’s work is a well-tested and educators around the world should be aware of Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive development in particular because it will improve the quality of their teaching. Once a teacher knows this theory, they can plan lessons appropriate to their students’ cognitive ability and build upon students’ earlier knowledge in a constructivist way.