Piaget & Vygotsky by Sara Sanders & Jennifer Chacon

1. 21st century learning As Piaget notes, physical interaction with the world is essential to children’s cognitive development. In today’s day and age with the increase in technology I think it is especially important for teachers (and parents) to have their students (children) experience the world in a physical way. Ways this could be accomplished: Instead of having students look up information on the computer, require them to go to their local library and check out a book. Instead of have students look at a presentation about fossils, take them to a fossil quarry and have them dig some up. Instead of reading about astronomy, take them to a planetarium. As for Vygotsky, play is essential for cognitive developmental learning. With the increase in video games and game systems, it is becoming less and less common for children to go out and play with one another. In a classroom setting, kindergarten and elementary teachers could set up a section of their class as a grocery store, equipped with a cash register, money, food items and a shopping cart. During free time, students could pretend they’re in a store. One student could be the cashier and a few others could be shoppers.

2. Compare and Contrast ideas from each theorist Differences Piaget: Children are naturally curious about their world and seek out information on their own to find it. Children learn new things through assimilation and/or accommodation. Interacting with objects and people is essential for cognitive development. Four stages of cognitive development Vygotsky: Adults influence the way children interpret and respond to the world around them. Thought and language become interdependent Scaffolding Play allows children to grow cognitively by allowing them to think ahead and teaching them self-restraint. Similarities: Both theories suggest children acquire new and complicated thinking strategies with age. Both support the idea of challenging children (Piaget’s disequilibrium idea and Vygotsky’s ZPD)

3. Perspectives on cognitive development /a shared understanding Cognitive development is the process of developing thinking and reasoning skills over the course of a lifetime. This is done through experience, which is made possible by interacting with others (family, friends, teachers).

4. Applications for education Piaget’s Theory: Incorporate experienced-based learning into the classroom. Examples: 1. Have students bring in real pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters when learning to count money. 2. Have students bring in rocks from their neighborhood when learning about rocks and minerals in science class. Vygotsky’s Theory: Create tasks for children to do that is outside their ZPD and requires assistance from others. 1. Have children work in groups of three to create a diorama about the rainforest. 2. Have children work at home with a parent to complete a family tree.

5. Main ideas from each theory applicable to targeted age group (based on major and/ or teaching/ training experience). Piaget’s idea that children construct rather than absorb knowledge and Vygotsky’s idea that challenging tasks promote maximum cognitive growth are essential to me as a future elementary education teacher. Piaget’s constructivist theory states everything children do are organized into schemes, or organized groups of similar actions or thoughts. Over time, these schemes are modified and/or integrated with one another. As a future teacher, it is important for me to understand my future students’ current schemes in order to help them learn. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory introduces the idea of the zone of proximal development or ZPD. According to Vygotsky, the ZPD is a range of tasks a learner can perform with the help of other’s (teachers, parents, etc) but cannot yet do on their own. As a future teacher, it is important for me to understand my future students’ zone of proximal development so as not to push them to do something they are incapable of doing.