...EDUC105: Major Essay- Due 29/4 Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky were two of the main instigators of the development of cognitive theories. These cognitive theories demonstrate the way in which we develop from infancy to adulthood and the mental processes in which each individual goes through (Slavin, 2009, p. 31). This essay will outline how the educational principles of Piaget and Vygotsky are utilized in Ann’s Classroom. Further, it will demonstrate that such principles are the basis for successful teaching. The essay will mainly focus on Piaget’s theory of disequilibrium, accommodation and assimilation, and Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development and scaffolding. Paiget’s cognitive theory was that learning occurred through the interaction between the student and the environment. He advocated for discovery learning with little teacher intervention where children are impacted by their own personal experiences (Piaget, 1971). Piaget’s theory was a stage theory, where he believed that between particular age groups, certain skills and development would occur. In relation to Ann’s year five class, the children would be in the concrete-operations stage. During the concrete-operations stage, the child begins to develop a capacity for logical thinking charactized by mental actions that are reversible and therefore allow the child to arrive at a logical conclusion (Tuckman & Monetti, 2011, p.58). This stage is more advanced than the pre-operations stage, however it...
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...theory of cognitive development in relation to children’s developing mathematical knowledge. Introduction Jean Piaget, a psychologist, made the study of cognitive development. He contributed a lot to the theory of cognitive child development. His study, especially his quantitative concepts, has created much attention in the field of child education. He explored children’s cognitive development to quince his interest in genetic epistemology. His exploration of children’s quantitative development has established mathematical knowledge with vital insights on how children learn ideas and mathematical concepts (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). This essay demonstrates the study of cognitive development of the mathematical knowledge in context of the Australian Curriculum. For that, I have chosen the age level 2. The approach of this essay will provide a discussion of Piaget’s theory in relation to Australian Curriculum, a brief difference of Piaget’s theory with Vygotsky theory, and summary of the study. Justification of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development Piaget believed that, child development occurs through an unswerving transformation of the thinking process. When certain development takes place, the cognitive development stage requires a period of months or years. He also described that the development of children learning is steady and gradual varying the stage. It depends on culture, experience, maturity level, ability, etc. All children have to pass through each stage before...
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...Applications of Piaget and Vygostsky’s cognitive developmental theories in a practical classroom environment Piaget and Vygotsky have antonymous beliefs when dealing with the concepts of cognitive development. Vygotsky believes in development through social behaviour whilst Piaget believes in individuals acquiring knowledge on their own. Both however, believe that the interaction between development and learning hold significant implications for a child’s growth. This essay discusses some of the philosophical beliefs of each theorist in regards to a scenario based in the classroom of a year five teacher named Ann. Ann reinforces classroom lessons through the outdoor environment, exemplifying Piaget’s theories of constructivist based learning as well as teaching methods that cater to the concrete operational stage of cognitive development. Ann also displays Vygotsky’s cognitive theory involving the zone of proximal development and peer to peer or teacher-peer scaffolding within a group environment. The essay will examine Ann’s teaching methods and how they relate to these cognitive developmental theories. Ann’s socially-constructive pedagogical approach as described by Howell (2012) will help children build their knowledge base through collaborative learning as well as independent work, known as scaffolding. Ann would apply the technique of scaffolding by providing assistance and offering feedback relating to new information (Woolfolk, 2004). Vygotsky (1978) put forward a theory...
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...Cognitive development can be described as the process in which a person constructs their thoughts for example, remembering things, problem solving and attention. In this essay I am going to evaluate the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. I will look into the weaknesses and strengths of the theories with supporting evidence and also the similarities and the differences of the two theories. Piaget believed that children develop through the interaction of innate capacities with environmental events (Gross 2005). He saw children as scientists and he also argued that cognitive development consists of four evident phases the first phase being the sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational, the concrete operational and the formal operation. Piaget argued that cognition development in children developed through these four stages and that the thinking patterns always happened in a sequence with four key features. It also happened in the same order and no stage was skipped, each stage was an important change than the stage before it. In the sensor motor stage from birth to two years, Piaget observed that childrens cognitive development was limited to natural involuntary response. Children build on these responses and develop complicated processes through physical interaction and experience (Gross 2005). At around seven months, the child learned that even if an object is out of sight the object still existed. This is what Piaget called object permanency In this stage the children will learn...
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...1(Conventional) ------------------------------------------------- Module: African Psychology (PSY 404) ------------------------------------------------- Lecturer: Mr. Mtemeri J. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Assignment: Compare and contrast the concept formation according to Piaget and Vygotsky. How applicable are their theories to the African context. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Due Date: 15 March 2012 Concept formation according to Muthivhi, (2009) refers to the development of ideas based on the common properties of objects, events or qualities using the process of abstraction. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) proposed the classical constructivist theories of concept formation or cognitive development. Their contributions to developmental psychology, albeit different, are similarly remarkable and unique. These two theories have some noted resemblances and differences. This essay will give an overview of these two theories, outlining their similarities and differences and their applicability to the African context with special reference to the Zimbabwean context. In Jean Piaget’s research, the main goal was to answer the question,...
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...Piaget Versus Vygotsky Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) proposed the classical constructivist theories of cognitive development. Although often compared, the concepts differ significantly. Indeed, the purpose of this essay is to argue that Piagetian theory marginalizes the social contribution to intellectual development and that, consequently, the Vygotskian approach offers a more accurate and comprehensive analysis. This paper will begin with an explanation of the theories of cognitive development propounded by Piaget and Vygotsky followed by a definition of constructivist and social constructivist theory. The superiority of Vygotsky’s theory will be established via a critical examination of Piaget’s stages of intellectual development, his perspective on language acquisition, and the methodology of his classic tests. Piaget maintained that cognitive development is a continuous progression of assimilation and accommodation and that these complementary processes lead to adaptation. Knowledge is constructed progressively via a sequence of behaviours or mental operations, what Piaget termed schemas. Piaget proposed that children develop mental representations of the world based on physical or mental actions, which they execute on the environment. These initially reflex behaviours are repeated while intrinsic motivation encourages the child to apply schemas to different situations. Assimilation occurs when the new experience is incorporated into an existing...
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...Vygotsky and Piaget Theory Vygotsky and Piaget Cognitive development can be described as the process in which a person constructs their thoughts for example, remembering things, problem solving and attention. In this essay I am going to evaluate the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. I will look into the weaknesses and strengths of the theories with supporting evidence and also the similarities and the differences of the two theories. Piaget believed that children develop through the interaction of innate capacities with environmental events (Gross 2005). He saw children as scientists and he also argued that cognitive development consists of four evident phases the first phase being the sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational, the concrete operational and the formal operation. Piaget argued that cognition development in children developed through these four stages and that the thinking patterns always happened in a sequence with four key features. It also happened in the same order and no stage was skipped, each stage was an important change than the stage before it. In the sensor motor stage from birth to two years, Piaget observed that childrens cognitive development was limited to natural involuntary response. Children build on these responses and develop complicated processes through physical interaction and experience (Gross 2005). At around seven months, the child learned that even if an object is out of sight the object still existed. This is what Piaget called...
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...Describe and evaluate Piaget’s theory of cognitive development Cognitive development is looking at the way children learn and process information. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a psychologist looking into the development of cognitive processes; his research is still highly influential today for studies carried out on cognitive development in children. Piaget believed intelligence is the balance which a person achieves between themselves and the environment and that this was achieved by the actions on the world of a young person who is developing. Piaget constructed several concepts to define the stages of child development; he was fascinated by the way that all children seemed to go through the same stages of discovering the world at the same time. Piaget’s research suggested a stage theory on each stage the children had a distinct type of thinking. The first stage of four which Piaget defines is the sensorimotor stage (0-2 years). The baby is able to understand the world by using its senses and motor actions. They are able to pretend to play and use single words towards the end of its sensorimotor stage. An important feature of the sensory motor stage is object permanence and the development of this. Learning that objects do not disappear when they are out of sight. However there are problems with Piaget’s research on this stage of development, this has been discovered by other researchers carrying out studies using heart-rate, rate of sucking and habituation technique...
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...Introduction: Child development involves biological, psychological and emotional changes that take place in human beings from birth to the end of adolescence. Psychological changes comprise motor skills and other psycho-physiological processes such as cognitive development (Levine & Munsch 2010). Cognitive development refers to the construction of a thought process which consist not only reasoning, problem solving and decision making, but also it includes cerebral activities such as thinking and memory (Woolfolk-Hoy & Hoy 2004). From this process child will start to learn to analyze the condition and reasoning, which will advances throughout the childhood till adulthood. This essay will discuss the effect of multiple factors such as environmental and social variable on cognitive development. Essay will also explore the importance of understanding developmental psychology for nursing practice. Environment and social variables have a high influence on cognitive development. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have done remarkable research and develop their own theories in understanding of cognitive development in children. Even though, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have varied theory about cognitive development, both theories are equally significant to understand cognitive development of a child. According to Lev Vygotsky’s socio-culture theory of development, child’s cognitive development is greatly influenced by the social interaction and culture(Slavin 1996). Lev Vygotsky believed...
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...Compare and Contrast the Theories of Piaget and Vygosky Tiffany AbelleraBlas BSHS/342 February 3, 2013 Dr. Branch Compare and Contrast the Theories of Piaget and Vygosky In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting the differences between two theorist, Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934). Though both agreed that children’s cognitive development took place in stages. However they were distinguished by different styles of thinking. Piaget felt that children progressed in four different stages of cognitive development, This theory is know as Piaget’s Stage Theory because it deals with four stages of development, which are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. As for Vygotsky, he is most often associated with the social constructivist theory and came into three general claims: culture, language, and Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Berk, 2010). Piaget was the first to reveal that children reason and think differently at different periods in their lives. He said, “Children’s thinking is rigid, limited to one aspect of a situation at a time, and strongly influenced by the way things appear at the moment.” (Berk, 2010) According to his four stages, in the first stage sensorimotor, which occurs from birth to the age of two is the time in an infant’s life when the child basically deals with what is presented to him or her. Then learn about physical objects and are concerned with motor skills and the consequences of...
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...one with varying views. Each view relies strongly on the developmental process of children. Urie Bronfenbrenner posits that a child’s environment plays the biggest role in the child’s development and learning experience (Ormrod, 2014). While Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky believe that a child’s cognitive development is most important to the learning experience (Ormrod, 2014). The purpose of this essay is to explore each of these theories and how they apply to my personal knowledge and understanding of the learning experience. I will begin with an overview of each theory and then move to how aspects of each apply to personal experiences and beliefs. Ultimately coming to the conclusion that no single theory fully represents my understanding of learning. While each theory as many strengths, one cannot have a fully developed understanding of the learning process without aspects of all three theories. According to Ormrod (2014), Bronfenbrenner’s theory of development relies strongly on the “multiple layers of environmental influence” (p. 21). At the most basic level is the child’s family, next is the child’s neighborhood and community, and finally the child’s state and country (Ormrod, 2014). Bronfenbrenner believed that the child’s culture played a significate role in effecting the child’s development in every layer. Furthermore, these layers interact with one another, as well as with the child’s own existing characteristics, and “in the process, they also change one another” (Ormrod...
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...DeWanna McIntyre ECE332: Child Development Professor Jessica Lindquist-Karci February 14, 2016 A Classroom Plan “A preschool classroom, based on Piaget’s Stage Theory” Today many preschoolers from 3-5 are learning new things in the world of education; it is up to parents and teachers to assure a quality education. When we think of a quality education we first look at the one that started it off. Jean William Fritz Piaget was a pioneer in child development who studies were influenced by the observations of his own children. This gave him an interest to study the thought processes of young children. Although his study is criticized by many, Piaget’s theories are used in many classrooms throughout the world. It is Piaget’s belief that people move through stages of development which allow them to think in new and more complex ways. He states that every interaction affects the cognition in every child. He developed a theory of cognitive development that corresponds to his hope for the educational process. He states that each child moves biologically through four stages of development. The first stage is Sensory-motor which is discovered at birth to two; According to Piaget, all humans are born with an innate (inborn, existing from birth) tendency to organize their thinking into structures. These mental structures are known as schemas. Piaget (1952) believed that these stages are universal - i.e. that the same sequence of development occurs in children all over...
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...This essay attempts to analyse, using appropriate illustrations, the extent to which gender stereotyping conforms to Jean Piaget’s four stages of development, which he elaborated in his Theory of Cognitive Development. It will first begin by clearly defining the terms; ‘gender,’ ‘stereotype,’ and hence the term ‘gender stereotyping.’ It will thereafter define cognitive development and will furthermore discuss in depth the stages of cognitive development, which are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational respectively. A critical assessment will then be made on the extent to which gender stereotyping acts in accordance to Piaget’s stages of development, to aid one have a final opinion of his Theory of Cognitive Development. Gender was a word used by Ann Oakley and others in the 1970s to describe the characteristics of men and women that are socially determined, in contrast to the ones that are biologically determined. Gender is therefore a term referring to the social and cultural construction of men and women. The word stereotype is defined as an organised set of beliefs concerning the characteristics of all members of a defined group (Golombok, 1995). Therefore, gender stereotyping is the overgeneralisation about the characteristics of an entire group of people based on their gender. It is the perception of people on how others should behave. According to Piaget (1952), cognitive development was a progressive reorganisation of mental processes...
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...Play is a vital part of our lives. In a child’s formative years, play is a powerfull and productive way of learning about the world. When the child grows and develops, the way in which he/she plays changes clearly. In this essay I will explain how and why this change occurs. I will look at how play is defined in different theoretical perspectives and discuss the features and functions of play. I will explain how play is relevant with the child’s degree of maturational development and explain how the child’s physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional and social developments are inter-related through play. I will describe how this maturational development is connected to the child’s ability to engage in increasingly complex and social play. First of all, “what is play?” First of all being a universal feature of human life, it is difficult to define. Wardle defines play as a freely chosen activity which is "non-literal, self-motivated, enjoyable and process oriented. Critical to this definition is the non-literal, non-realistic aspect. This means external aspects of time, use of materials, the environment, rules of the play activity, and roles of the participants are all made up by the children playing. They are based on the child's sense of reality" (Wardle, undated); with the key point being that all aspects of the play are based on the child’s sense of reality. Hughes and King describe play as “a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated”...
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...February 2016 Task stream Assignment #2 Cognitive learning is an essential part of the developmental process; it is the way our brains process information received. It is important to understand how the cognitive learning process changes throughout the human life span to fully comprehend the way we think and process information. Psychologist Jean Piaget, was the most influential theorist who described the cognitive development process. Piaget, “envisioned a child's knowledge as composed of schemes, basic units of knowledge used to organize past experiences and serve as a basis for understanding new ones” (Encyclopedia). Furthermore, in a human’s life span there are eight stages in which our cognitive learning changes: infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. This essay will take a look at the changes in cognitive learning over the human lifespan. The first stage we will look at is cognitive learning in infancy. The stage of infancy is considered birth through age two years old. Cognitive learning begins immediately after birth, infants learn to use their senses to explore their surroundings (Encyclopedia). Newborns are really good at identifying sounds and recognizing their mother’s voice. As the infant grows they begin to understand words; around the age of 18 months old the infant should be able to understand between 100 and 150 words. The next stage is early childhood; the age range is from two years...
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