Piaget and Vygotsky shared some similarities in their developmental theories, but they also have some marked differences. Describe one area in which their views are similar and one in which they diffe
After reading Chapter 6, I learned Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories on cognitive development. Even though they shared some similarities in their constructivist theories of cognitive development, they also had a few differences. They both believed that children actively construct their knowledge and understanding, but the way that they think and understand differ (Sanrock, 2018, p. 200). Piaget based his theory on interactions and adapting to the real world, while Vygotsky based his theory on social interactions.
Piaget believed that children’s’ biology and experience play a part in their cognitive development (Sanrock, 2018, p. 183). There are 4 stages children must go through, at certain ages, as they are cognitively developing; children and adolescents cannot skip stages, they must go through one stage before moving to the next. Piaget’s first stage in cognitive development is the sensorimotor stage, when infants, up to age 2, understand the world around them by touching, seeing, hearing, and tasting. In the beginning of this stage, infants will try to reach for any object that is directly in front of them, but by the end of this stage, 2 year olds will have the ability to use symbols and form mental representations (Santrock, 2018, p. 186).The preoperational stage is the next stage, children ,from 2 to 7 years old, use drawings and words to display the world. As children are developing, they start to wonder why things happen the way they do, which is why they start asking a ton of why questions. In the concrete operational stage, Piaget’s third stage, children can revise real objects mentally. When children get to this stage, they can categorize things in their minds. They can also put things together to form a conclusion. The fourth and final stage is the formal operational stage, adolescents think in a more logical way. Adolescents become more self-conscious, which contributes to their uniqueness and invincibility (Santrock, 2018, p. 195). When Piaget applied his theory to education, he believed that teachers should not help children get to the next level of development. Children will get to the next stage of development when they are ready.
Vygotsky believed that children use tools from society to cognitively develop and influence their way of thinking. Their cognitive development depends on tools provided by society, and their minds are shaped by the cultural context in which they live (Santrock, 2018, p. 200). To Vygotsky, language plays an important role in children’s’ cognitive development and helps them achieve different tasks. Children start off by talking to others, then eventually form their own thoughts. Vygotsky suggested that children who use a lot of private speech (inner thoughts) are more socially competent than those who do not (Santrock, 2018, p. 200). To Vygotsky, learning is more effective when teachers are able to change the level of support (scaffolding). In other words, when learning a new material, a teacher can give thorough instructions, but as the children are becoming more comfortable with the material, the teacher should provide less assistance. Each child is different and has their own Zone of Proximal Development (the ability to complete a task only with the help of others, without the help, the child is unable to complete the task).
Piaget and Vygotskye both believed that children should construct their own understanding about a task. The difference between them is the source of the process, Piaget believed that the children's biology contributed to their cognitive development and should explore independently, with no help. On the other hand, Vygotsky claimed that cognitive development comes from the world around them. To relate, when potty training my daughter, I tried just buying a potty that she liked and placing it in the bathroom. She would always go into the bathroom to look at it but did not actually use it. After 2 weeks, I decided to switch my method and start taking her to the potty every 30 minutes and make her sit down. After the first time using it, we made a celebration song. After a week, she started going to the bathroom by herself and I would hear her mumble the celebration song. For the first 2 weeks, I used Piaget’s theory and was not aware, I was not helping her and letting her figure it out of her own. I figured when she was ready, she would go. The last week, I used Vygotsky’s theory, where I gave her help in the beginning and when she became more comfortable with what she had to do, I backed away to let her continue on her own.
Reference
Santrock, J. W. (2018). A topical approach to life-span development (9th ed.).
McGraw-Hill Education.
In chapter 6 of the text, two different constructivist theories of development were discussed, that of Jean Piaget and that of Lev Vygotsky (Santrock, 2018). Both theories assume the position that a child actively constructs their world; however, the theories differ concerning how that process takes place and the role of language and education in child development.
Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development operates under the premise that individuals develop in four stages and that throughout these stages, six key processes take place, facilitating movement from one stage to the next. Piaget theorized that infants and children create schemes to represent their knowledge. A scheme is a physical action or mental organization that explains an activity to the individual and aids in understanding (Santrock, 2018, p. 184). As the individual acquires new knowledge, they either assimilate that knowledge into one of their existing schemes, or they accommodate that information into a new or modified scheme, continually organizing and reorganizing information as they develop. When the individual encounters irregularities in their schemes, they strive to balance their understanding of their world by assimilating and accommodating, organizing, and reorganizing information. Piaget called this process equilibration, which allows the child to shift from one cognitive stage to the next. According to Piaget, adults could not “help” a child achieve the next stage. Instead, teachers facilitate and guide learning by allowing children to explore and acquire knowledge on their own (Santrock, 2018, p. 197), allowing the next stage of development to come when the child is ready for it.
Lev Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development operates under the premise that all mental functions have social origins; individual development is based on the cultural context they are exposed to and depends on the tools provided to them by society (Santrock, 2018, p. 200). Vygotsky claimed that children are social beings and that their development is aided by the social interactions they have with those around them. Vygotsky emphasized the role of language in development, explaining that children learn to use language to communicate socially as well as to accomplish tasks. Eventually, children learn to use private language (their thoughts) to solve problems and regulate themselves. In Vygotsky’s theory, language is utilized in education through dialogues with adults and more advanced peers. According to Vygotsky, each child has a Zone of Proximal Development, which describes the range of tasks a child cannot do independently but can do with assistance from an adult or more advanced peer. Teachers dialogue with students and use scaffolding to provide just enough assistance for the child to accomplish the task. Gradually assistance is withdrawn, and the child is encouraged to perform the task on their own. In Vygotsky’s view, education should be centered around the child’s exploration of real-world settings.
In comparing these theories, there are a few similarities and differences. Both Piaget and Vygotsky claimed that children actively construct their knowledge of the world through their actions and learn best when allowed and encouraged to explore the world around them. Piaget, however, claimed that this happened primarily through the internal cognitive processes of the individual. Alternately, Vygotsky claimed that this process occurred through the social interactions between the individual and those around them. An example of this can be seen in a classroom where the teacher guides the children in exploring what happens to long strips of tissue paper when one end is placed into a cup of colored water. The teacher provides the materials, then allows the children to experiment and discuss their findings amongst themselves. Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories agree that this is the best way for children to learn. At one point, a child decides to put one end of a strip into a cup with one color water and the other end into a second cup with water of a different color. It is at this point where the theories differ. According to Piaget’s theory, this action occurred because of the child’s internal thought processes based on what they observed and their current developmental stage. According to Vygotsky’s theory, however, this action likely occurred because the child was provided the tools to explore by society, such as having a dialogue with an adult about mixing colors.
In summary, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky both theorized that children develop by actively constructing their knowledge of the world around them through their interactions. Piaget maintained that development occurred in stages and that it was primarily cognitively driven. Vygotsky’s theory does not mention stages; instead, it maintains that development is driven by societal tools and social interactions of the individual with those around them.
Reference
Santrock, J. W. (2018). A topical approach to life-span development (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
When it comes to Piaget and Vygotsky, they had some interesting theories about children. As I was reading about Vygotsky I came across a very interesting theory he had about language and thought. He believed that children learn to communicate with the outside world before they can develop inner thoughts and speech. "After a while, the self-talk becomes second nature to children and they can act without verbalizing at this point, children have internalized their egocentric speech in the form of inner speech, which becomes their thoughts" (Mercer. 2009). I assumed that children learned about inner thoughts and then gradually adapt to verbal speech, Vygotsky thought the exact opposite.
For Piaget he approached his theory in many different ways. Piaget believed that children could "organize" their thoughts. "A child who has only a vague idea about how to use a hammer may also have a vague idea about how to use other tools. After learning how to use each one, the child relates these uses, organizing his knowledge" (Santrock, 2018). I've seen this theory play out with my son when I buy him new toys, he won't know how to play with them right away. Initially he assumes that whatever method worked for his old toys will suffice for the new ones. When he first got his cars he used to stack them up like he did his building blocks but after I showed him to roll his cars, he knew how to differentiate the blocks purpose and the cars purpose.
Together, Piaget and Vygotsky had a few similarities. One similar theory between the two is a teacher being a guide for children and not a director. "In both Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories, teachers serve as facilitators and guides, rather than as directors and molders of learning" (Santrock, 2018). I agree with this theory because when I was in elementary school I saw my fifth grade teacher as a guide more than just a teacher. Children learn better in this specific way.
In our reading we compared two cognitive developmental theories, Piaget's and Vygotsky's. Piaget's theory is based more on specific stages based on age where as Vygotsky believes that children will develop certain skills at different stages from one another, depending on their social and educational experiences. They each believe that teachers (or anyone in there life that will guide them) play a vital role in their cognitive development. I decided to focus on the differences between the two theories on inner language. Piaget felt that the 'inner monologue' was egocentric and immature, whereas Vygotsky believed that 'private speech' was important for planning, guiding and monitoring their behavior. Vygotsky felt that this form of 'private speech' or inner language was developed after external language. That before this inner conversation happens, a child learns to communicate with others first, then begin to speak out loud to themselves. He explains that this inner voice will eventually become second nature in a child. He said this transition happens between the ages of 3 and 7 and will become the child's thoughts.
An example of the similarity of these theories, teachers playing an important role in the development of young children can be seen in children who are only children, first children or in homes with multiple children close in age. This also depends on the attention the parents or guardians provide to each child. A parent is a child's first teacher. When I had my first child I read to him every night, spoke in full sentences, watched educational programming and worked with him on skills. At the age of 6 months he said his first words, at the age of one he knew the alphabet and could count at least to 10. I went on to have 2 more children, of course having less and less one on one time with each. My two younger children still developed at a normal rate, as I still worked with them and read to them, but did not have as much alone time to help develop these skills as early in their youth. My daughter is now the mother of 3 young boys, 4,3 and 2. The oldest boy converted backwards when the second child was born, then more so when the third came along. He was learning to speak, then stopped. Even now at the age of 4, he does not talk a lot and has some behavioral issues. When he started preschool, a lot of this changed. His behavior improved as did his speech. Then when Covid 19 hit, his behaviors eventually went backwards as has some of his speech improvements. My daughter and her husband both work full time jobs, that did not shut down for the pandemic, although her hours were cut some. Her husband just took over an auto repair garage and works very long hours, well into the night. My daughter has her hands full with 3 rambunctious boys and has a hard time finding the time and energy to have the one on one interactions to teach each of them at the level at which they need taught.
On the other hand of this, the differences in Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories, where the inner voice develops at different 'stages' or at different times in a child's life, is I can see that my grandson uses inner thoughts a lot, at least I believe that my daughter's older two sons do. The oldest grandson, I have heard mumble to himself which now you can just witness the thought process before he acts. This is where I would have to agree more with Piaget than Vygotsky, by witnessing these thought processes very early on in my own children as well as my 4 grandsons. As infants, transitioning to toddlers they often think about what they need to do to get what they want. Infants cry to get fed, changed or attention. This could be also in correlation to Piaget's theory of Circular reaction, where an infant realizes that an action gets the result they want. Therefore it is a repeated action.
In reading this chapter about the developmental theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, I saw more differences than similarities. One similarity that stands out is that they both believe children construct their own knowledge and understanding, instead of just being empty receptacles that you can pour knowledge into. I think this is important for those working with children because sometimes the automatic instinct is to treat them as empty vessels to pour your own knowledge into, instead of actually letting them construct their own knowledge. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to help my children with something and they tell me, I can figure it out myself. In reality, its better for them to figure it out themselves (with assistance, as needed).
As I mentioned before, there are many differences between Piaget and Vygotsky's theories. One big difference is that Vygotsky believed in the Zone of Proximal Development. This basically means that children have a level at which they can problem-solve independently, but with scaffolding from an adult or more-skilled peer they can learn to solve problems at a higher level. This makes education, and teachers especially, very important to help a child develop and learn problem solving tools and skills. Vygotsky's theory of development is very much based on the social environment of the child. An example of this would be when I help my son with his math homework. Instead of helping on every problem or every step of a problem, I wait and watch him work it out. If he struggles with a step or can't figure out a problem, then I step in just enough to help him understand the part he was confused about. This helps him learn and keeps him practicing. Piaget, on the other hand, theorizes that the social world isn't all that important. He thinks that the children construct their own knowledge through exploration and discovery within the world around them. He would more likely advocate a teacher to provide opportunities for exploration in the classroom and for the teacher to facilitate learning by providing a problem and allowing the children to find a solution themselves. I would say an example of this might be a classroom math lesson in which the teacher provides a problem, allows children to explore the problem and try to solve it themselves, perhaps using objects (blocks, etc). The teacher would listen to the students and then ask prompting questions, and eventually, hopefully the students would solve the problem themselves.
I can see merits and truths in both of these theories, and maybe the whole truth lies in blending the two in some way. Based on my own personal experience, I happen to agree more with Vygotsky, as far as learning and education is concerned. I'm interested to read what everyone else thinks.
