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Similarities and differences between vygotsky and piaget
Compare and contrast jean piaget and lev vygotsky
Similarities and differences between vygotsky and piaget
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Piaget’s theory of cognitive development states four stages of cognitive development. During the first Sensorimotor Stage which Piaget
Jean Piaget is one of my favorite theorists because he influenced our understanding of cognitive development in which involves the ways that growth and change in intellectual capabilities influences one’s behavior. Also, throughout the chapters of the book, it mainly mentions more of Piaget’s theories, beliefs, and approaches to Early Childhood Education and I took into consideration that what he said and did was fascinating, knowledgeable, and worth reading into. For example, He created the four stages of Cognitive Development: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete operational and Formal operational categorized by different ages from birth to adolescences. He indicated that children will learn better if they go through the four stages of
This essay will outline the findings of both Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory and Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory with specific reference to the emphasis they both placed on the importance of childhood development. Also the similarities and differences between each theorist will be acknowledged in order to draw on the overall impact and relevance both theorists had in the field of developmental psychology. Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory Cognitive development is a core principal of developmental psychology and in particular it is the work of Jean Piaget, who placed a significant emphasis on childhood development, which is ubiquitous in the field. (Sugarman, 2011)
This is an essay I will write down my own comprehension of two theories pertaining to learners and learning and I will also compare and contrast the core of these two theories. One theory is Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, another theory is Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Piaget believes that children are active thinkers and can form a series of opinions about the world. He divided cognitive development into four stages, they are sensorimotor stage (0-2 years), preoperational stage (2-7 years), concrete operations stage (7-11years) and formal operations stage (after 11 years old)
Two of the most recognized cognitive psychologist, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, developed theories that addressed cognitive development and learning among children. (Ballinger, 2013) Jean Piaget proposed that children proceed through four stages based on maturation and experience. Piaget’s theory is guided by assumptions of how learners interact with their environment and how they integrate new knowledge and information into existing knowledge. Briefly, Piaget proposed that children are active learners who construct knowledge from their environments, they learn through assimilation and accommodation, and complex cognitive development occurs through equilibration, the interaction with physical and social environments. (William, 1996)
It’s been widely proven that regular physical activity has multiple health benefits for preadolescent children. These include maintaining a healthy bodyweight, to having a positive effect on school performance and attention spans (de Greef et al, 2017). But how do we successfully use our knowledge of children’s capabilities to deliver a presentation, motivating them to be active? More important than this though, was presenting it in a way that would encourage them to sustain this activity. Children of different ages think and act in different ways.
Influences of Cognitive Development Piaget’s major achievement is his understanding of cognitive development. According to the book by Duchesne and McMaugh (2016), Piaget states how some influences of development can be biological. It further explains how important it is for children to experience firsthand the world around them. As this will strengthen the neurological pathways
Vygotsky had three basic assumptions of cognitive development. Firstly, he believed that thinking is influenced by one’s culture. Secondly, he said that social interaction is the primary cause of cognitive development. “Human learning presupposes a specific social nature and a process by which children grow into the intellectual life of those around them” (Vygotsky, Mind in Society, 1978, p.88). He proposed that the most important things a society passes on to members are psychological/ mental tools.
Piaget, a Swiss man, is interesting in the world of cognitive development as his early studies were initially directed towards biology. He trained as a philosopher and a biologist or more specifically referred to as an epistemologist. He, himself, described himself as a “genetic epistemologist,” referencing that he is, first and foremost, a biologist and a developmental psychologist second. While Piaget did study and receive his doctorate in Biology, he never pursued work in that field. Instead, he changed his career path and studied Psychology in Paris.
Cognitive development is the emergence of the ability to think and understand. Researchers have found that young children understand how objects work long before they have experience with the object. An inventor named Jean Piaget invented a theory called Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Piaget’s theory concluded that there are 4 stages to cognitive development that children go through from age 2 and onward. With this theory, children are expected to reach cognitive milestones.
According to Susan C. Nurrenbern (2001) in her article “Piaget’s Theory of Intellectual Development Revisited,” Piaget’s view on cognitive development was that “learners are active participants rather than passive receivers of knowledge” (p. 1107). Nurrenbern (2001) stated that
Piaget developed a stage theory of intellectual development that included four distinct stages: the sensorimotor stage, from birth to age 2; the preoperational stage, from age 2 to about age 7; the concrete operational stage, from age 7 to 11; and the formal operational stage, which begins in adolescence and spans into adulthood. He believed that there were four necessary ingredients for cognitive development which included: “maturation of the nervous system, experiences gained through interaction with physical world, social environment, and child’s active participation in adapting to environment & constructing knowledge from experience.” (Sullivan, 2014, Slide 3) The sensorimotor stage occurs between birth and age 2. Infants and toddlers acquire knowledge through sensory experiences and handling objects.
Brief History Jean Piaget was a Twentieth century Swiss psychologist and was the first psychologist to systematically study the cognitive development of children. Thomas (2005) wrote that early in Piaget’s career he worked with children and his observations and interactions with the students led him to the theory that a young person's cognitive processes are inherently different from those of adults (pp. 188-9). According to Ahmad, et al. (2005) , Piaget showed that when compared to adults, young children think in differently and he then came to the conclusion that cognitive development was an ongoing process which occurred due to maturation and interaction with the environment (p. 72).
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development Cognition is a process where different aspects of the mind are working together that lead to knowledge. Piaget’s cognitive development theory is based on stages that children go through as they grow that lead them to actively learn new information. Cognitive change occurs with schemes that children and adults go through to make sense of what is happening around them. The change that occurs is activity based when the child is young and later in life correlates to mental thinking. Piaget’s stages of cognitive development start from birth to adulthood
Piaget and Vygotsky provide their distinct differences in their theories; however they share many similarities. These two theorists expanded their beliefs in how they thought a child would progress throughout the years of growing. This brought many different opinions as well as some advantages to each of their theories. Some of the differences between the two theorists are derived from the theoretical experiences and language, culture, and education. Piaget and Vygotsky both shared a common knowledge from either having training or background as biologists.
