Piagetian and Vygotskian Theories, Essay Example

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky have long been considered as pioneers in the fields of human cognitive development and its relationship to learning and education, especially pertaining to children. Both of these world-renowned psychologists contributed extensively to understanding the psychological mechanisms related to how the human brain develops over the course of time in relation to learning, speech, and thought processes. Thus, the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky have enabled educational professionals to postulate other theories related to the roles that society and culture play in the process of cognitive development and childhood education and learning.

First of all, both Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that children are born with the necessary abilities and cognitive traits for intellectual growth and development. This is especially true with Piaget who stressed four basic universal stages–1), sensormotor or experiencing the world through the senses and movement; 2), preoperational; 3), concrete operations or hands-on learning; and 4), formal operations or the ability to think in abstract, complex ways (McLeod, 2013). In contrast, Vygotsky believed that society and culture play a more pivotal role related to cognitive development and early learning via his Social Development Theory which stressed social interaction and the environment (McLeod, 2013).

Secondly, in contrast to Piaget’s suggestion that cognitive development must come before learning, Vygotsky claimed that social learning must come first via specific social factors that contribute to the development of thinking skills and abilities in young children. More specifically, Vygotsky, unlike Piaget, stressed an interaction with people in a child’s social and cultural environment through dialogue which enables young and cognitively-developing children to learn to think independently. Although Piaget was often criticized for failing to consider the role of social factors, he fully agreed with Vygotsky that young children must be allowed to learn and discover the world around them on their own terms (McLeod, 2013).

Thirdly, unlike Piaget, Vygotsky placed great emphasis on the pivotal role of language related to the cognitive development of a young child. For instance, Vygotsky encouraged the incorporation of group and peer learning which he considered as essential for better comprehension. He also understood that language is driven by culture which he considered as the basis for learning. In addition, Vygotsky in contrast with Piaget, stressed that children do have the capabilities to solve complex problems with of course the assistance of teachers.

Today, the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky continue to affect how teachers instruct young children in four basic ways–first, they help to illuminate how cognitive abilities develop over time which influences the structure of lesson plans; second, they enable teachers to incorporate ideas concerning society and culture into the act of learning; third, they serve as a guide for teachers related to allowing children to learn on their own; and fourth, they clarify the importance of language in relation to a child’s cultural background.

References

McLeod, S.A. (2013). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html