Vygotsky believed that the history of the child and the history of the child’s culture needed to be understood because it overrides the cognitive schema process that Piaget described. Piaget and Vygotsky had many contrasting views which included Piaget believing that cognitive changes precede linguistic advances, unlike Vygotsky who proposed that language allowed the child a far greater freedom of thought and lead to further cognitive development. Piaget believed in the development of thinking and that language moved from individual too social. However, Vygotsky believed that
He focused on language and the development of internalising language; that we learn to think through and before speech, as a major influence on children’s cognitive development. He believed that personal and social experience cannot be separated and that a child’s development is not only constructed by personal development but also moulded by the child’s culture; education, family and community. He concentrated on the child’s potential learning ability and the need for experts that help a child to construct their learning and intelligence. A lot of practical applications from his theory are used in the educational system today. There are a lot of similarities in Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories.
Conversely, the Montessori camp believed that the Froebelian method over sentimentalized education in young children and relied too heavily on myths, fables and stories. Instead of stories, Montessori’s methods used science to spark interest and imagination in students (Gutek, p. 276). Montessori further believed that the romantic philosophy of education often failed to “cultivate the child’s possibilities for skill mastery and intellectual achievement” (p. 275). Friedrich Froebel and Maria Montessori are two of the most popular educational theorists. While their theories can have similarities they also have a lot of differences.
One similarity is that they both agreed that infants are born with the tools and abilities for intellectual development. They also both agreed that egocentric speech was an important part of cognitive development. But then Piaget focuses on the motor reflexes and sensory abilities, while Vygotsky focuses on attention, sensation, perception, and memory. One big difference in their ideas is that Piaget believed development came before learning, while Vygotsky (1978) stated, “Learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychology function.” Just that difference would make a big difference in their theories all together. Another huge difference is that Vygotsky believed in culture and surrounding environment affects cognitive development.
• Accommodation = occurs when a child adapts existing schemas in order to understand new info that doesn’t fit • Equilibration= According to P cognitive development is driven by the need for equilibrium in cognitive structures. When a child is aware of a shortcoming in existing thinking they experience an imbalance between what is understood and what is encountered. They try to reduce this imbalance by developing/adapting schemas until an equilibrium is restored. This process=equilibration A01/Piaget’s stages • 4 stages in cognitive development • Stage 1= Sensorimotor stage (0-2 y) - children able to coordinate sensory input with motor actions. Key development = objects permanence-8 months they realise that objects that our out of sight still exists.
The building blocks of knowledge 2 Processes that enable the transition from one stage to another (Equilibrium, assimilation and accommodation) 3 Stages of development (Sensory motor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational) Piaget believed that these stage are universal, i.e. that the same sequence of development occurs in children all over the world, whatever their culture. Because of Piagets theories, preschools and schools have tried to give a more hands-on approach to learning, and teachers plan activities by working out the needs of the children. His work has also influenced the management of behaviour because he looked at morality from a childs point of view
Since the end of the 19th century, cognitive development has been widely researched, in particular by the researcher Piaget who introduced his Theory of Cognitive Behaviour, centred on intelligence and its growth. This theory explains how children acquire the mental structure to perceive the world, and introduces the notion of developmental stages in which the child understands its surroundings in four main periods, which we will be examining further on. One of the important factors in Piaget’s theory is that he neglects the social environment in the cognitive development of a child and states that it is people, or peers who represent a crucial part in this development. Therefore according to him, logical thinking progresses out of the child’s biological roots. Another researcher interested in cognitive development is Vygotsky, who was born in Russia in 1896, the same year as Piaget.
Development describes the growth of humans throughout the lifespan. The scientific study of human development seeks to understand and explain how and why people change throughout life. This includes all aspects of human growth, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social, perceptual and personality development. (www.psychology.about.com) Although it may seem that a child’s development and progression of their language comprehension, cognitive capabilities and physical growth would be a fundamental part in an attempt to understand development, it was not until the early 20th century that researchers and psychologists began to focus on the importance of child development. Nonetheless, ideas about how humans grow and adjust have existed for centuries.
Compare and contrast between Piaget and Vygotsky cognitive development is characterized as maturity to think logically and rationally. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two most influential psychologists in the field of cognitive development. Manner in which children gain knowledge play an essential function in their learning and thinking ability. While they both contributed important information to the study of children learning and thinking abilities, they reach their conclusion by different way of thinking. Both Vygotsky and Piaget’s theories evolve from their own personal and collective experiences.
Word Count 2445 Compare and Contrast Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s Theories of Cognitive Development The field of Cognitive Development focuses on the way in which individuals acquire knowledge and understanding about the world around them over the life course (Gazzaniga & Heatherton, 2003). The following outlines two major theories in this realm, namely Jean Piaget’s stage theory of cognitive development, and Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development. Piaget emphasised developmental changes in the organisation of children’s thinking processes and the ways that differences in these structures are reflected in children’s learning at different ages. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory suggests that a child’s level of competence interacts with her social environment producing advances in thinking and understanding (Hetherington & Parke, 1999). This essay seeks to compare and contrast both of these theories in terms of constructivism and socio-cultural context, key processes, role of language, views on education and teaching implications.