Piaget and Vygotsky Essay Example for Free

Piaget and Vygotsky EssayIn this Essay I go forth compare and contrast the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. They both were influential in forming a more(prenominal) scientific approach to analyzing the cognitive processes of the child active cook upion of knowledge. They both developed their own ideas of child discipline and they believed cognitive development in children took place in stages. However they were distinguished by different styles of thinking.Piaget thought that children actively construct their own cognitive worlds and they adapt their thinking to include naked as a jaybird ideas beca accustom additional information kick upstairss understanding. He in a bad way(p) that to make sense of our world we organize our Schemata or experiences. We connect oneness idea to another. We also espouse new ideas. Adaptation is by assimilation, which occurs when individuals incorporate new information into their existing knowledge into an existing ruler of behavior of sc hemata ( suit). Piaget refers to Schemata or schemas to the way we organize our knowledge. We can think our knowledge as units and each of them colligate to aspects of the world including actions, objects etc. (referencing ) Accommodation occurs when individuals adjust to new information.Piaget thought that equilibrium occurs when is a balance in the midst of assimilation and accommodation. He believed equilibrium schema is both the category of knowledge as well as the process of acquiring that knowledge. As experiences happen and new information is displayed, new schemas are developed and disused schemas are changed or modified. An example is, say a child sees a crow and a pigeon in the sky, and is told that they are birds. The child then forms a bird schema defined as something that flies.The next day, he goes out and sees a seagull, which easily fits into his existing bird schema. This is called assimilation, when we take new experiences/knowledge and put them in our existing schemas (or categories). The next day, a child goes out and sees a plane in the sky. Whilst this fits the definition of something that flies, it seems to be quite different than the other birds he has seen, and he is told that this is not a bird. To explain this, the child forms one large category of flying things, with two sub-categories birds and planes. This process is called accommodation, where we change our existing knowledge structures to account for new information that doesnt fit.Piaget also believed that we go thought four stages in understanding the world. Each stage is age related and consist of a distinct way of thinking, a different way of understanding the world. This surmisal is known as Piagets Stage Theory because it deals with four stages of development, which are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and testicle operational. ( referencing ) On the other hand, Vygotsky believed that children actively construct their knowledge.He gave affectionat e interaction and culture far more important roles in cognitive development than Piaget did. Vygotsky socio cultural cognitive theory emphasizes how cultural and social interactions turn over cognitive development. He portrayed the child development as inseparable from social and cultural activities. Vygotsky argued, accomplishment is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human mental function (1978, p. 90). In other words, social larn tends to precede development. He believed that the development of memory, attention and ratiocination involves learning to use the inventions of society, such as language, mathematical systems and memory strategies.( referencing)Piaget believed that development had to come before learning Vygotsky believed that development and learning worked together though socialization and language. Vygotsky gave language a huge role in development. For vygotsky Language plays two critical roles in cog nitive development. First language is the main means by which adults transmit information to children. Secondly, Language itself it is a very powerful tool of intellectual adaptation. Vygotsky believed that language develops from social interactions, for communication purposes. Later language ability becomes internalized as thought and inner speech. Thought is the exit of language.Piaget thought that on that point was a connection between biological and cognitive development. Vygotsky believed that knowledge from social interactions spurred cognitive growth and development.Even they had really big differences they both believed that social interactions played an irreplaceable role in cognitive development. Piaget thought that cognitive development is influenced by social transmission (learning from others). Vygotsky believed that social interactions were an instrument in development and that it heavily influenced thoughts and language.Piaget strongly considered that the developmen tal ages of students determined where they should be in the learning process. Vygotsky took that idea further by comparing the learners actual development to their potential development. He called this area of partition off of proximal development. ZPD is the range of tasks that one cannot yet perform in figureently, but can accomplish with the assistant of a more competent individual. For example, a child might not be able to walk crosswise a balance beam on her own, but she can do so while holding her mothers hand. Since children are always learning new things, the ZPD changes as new skills are acquired.Piaget stages are hierarchical. Each of Piagets stages must be complete before moving to the next one. Vygotskys theory does not depend on time. Piaget stages imply that children cognitively develop on their own, without the help of someone or something. Vygotsky concentrates more on social interactions and aide given to a child when develops. Vygotsky Scaffolding is the kind o f help, assistance and support that enables a child to do a task which they cannot quite manage yet alone and which it will help them in the future to be able to make that task or similar on their own. For example In a school laboratory science class, a teacher might provide staging by first giving students detailed guides to carrying out experiments, then giving them brief outlines that they might use to structure experiments, and finally asking them to set up experiments entirely on their own.What the child can do with assistance today she will be able to do by herself tomorrow (Vygotsky, 1978, p.87).Both these educators contributed to the present day ideas of constructivist learning. Both offer some incredible insight into possible ways children learn and byusing there theories it is possible to create a more conductive learning environment for the child.