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Abstract
Presentation
Two of the most recognized cognitive psychologists, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky,
developed theories that addressed cognitive development and learning among children and
adolescents. Which theory is better? If Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky had to defend their points of
view, according to Hurst (2003), they would argue this speech:
There are many studies about those theories that have been analyzed according to their
differences prospects, for example, McLeod (2015) published in his blog Simply Psychology Jean
Piaget Schemas are the basic building blocks of such cognitive models, and enable us to form a
mental representation of the world. Piaget (1952) defined a schema as: 'a cohesive, repeatable
action sequence possessing component actions that are tightly interconnected and governed by a
core meaning'. Moreover, Pias, Fuertes and Miranda (2014) in their book titled Corrientes
Pedaggicas Contemporneas, consider that Jean Piaget is the father of the genetic psychology and
his theory has had great impact on education, because it has led cognitive development operational
stages into a new approach which is part of the constructivist view. Finally, the author of this
paper thinks that Piagets operational stages theory is somehow related to critical period
hypothesis, as Hurford (1991) mentions in his study The evolution of the critical period for
language acquisition; even though this hypothesis refers only to the acquisition of a second
language, because Piagets operational stages are divided according to the human beings
chronological ages (Wood, Smith & Grossniklaus, 2014), and there is a specific age for each
cognitive process of assimilation and adaptation stage, particularly for Language and Math. For
this reason, if the child does not develop this process at the appropriate age or stage he or she may
no longer do it properly.
On the other hand, Hurst (2003) in her blog Zone of Proximal Development and
Scaffolding in the Classroom states Le Vygotsky developed a theory of cognitive development
which focused on the role of culture in the development of higher mental functions In addition, I
state that Vygotskys sociocultural theory is based on learning by interaction of the social context
and the things students cannot understand lay in a specific zone called the zone of proximal
development (ZPD). Those things will be understood with a guiders help. In Vygotskys (1930)
words "The distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent
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problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving
under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" .
The Comparisons between Jean Piaget and Lev Vigotskys theories are done considering
their contributions to the Education.
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Chapter I
As Cherry (2016) states that Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that
children move through four different stages of mental development. His theory focuses not
only on understanding how children acquire knowledge, but also on understanding the nature
of intelligence. Piaget believed that children took an active role in the learning process, acting
much like little scientists as they perform experiments, make observations and learn about the
world. In other words, that human construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences:
Constructivism learning.
Piaget divided his theory of cognitive development in four stages based on maturation
and experience. Below there is a chart that summarizes the stages:
Piaget was one of the first theorists to suggest that the way children think is
fundamentally different from the way that adults think. Many of Piaget's ideas came from his
observations of his own children, but his theory has also fueled an abundance of further
research on the intellectual development of children.
Piaget's contributions to the education are the constructivist perspective, the various
educational proposals that reflect the genetic psychology contribution that are also associated
with the social development of the student.
Apart from learning theories, Piaget's theory of constructivism addresses how learning
actually occurs, not focusing on what influences learning. The role of teachers is very
important. Instead of giving a lecture the teachers in this theory function as facilitators whose
role is to aid the student when it comes to their own understanding.
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Chapter II
Vygotsky's (1930) theory says that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the
development of cognition,
Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social
level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and
then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to
logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as
actual relationships between individuals.
I may say that interaction with other people is crucial to occur the learning.
Williams and Burden (1997) assert that Vygotskys most widely known concept
is probably the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which is the term used to refer to
the layer of skill or knowledge which is just beyond that with which the learner is
currently capable of coping. In other words, ZPD is a level of development attained when
children engage in social behavior. Full
development of the ZPD depends upon full
social interaction. The student can develop
more skills with adult guidance or peer
collaboration than alone.
According to Williams and Burden (1997) His work was suppressed and has only
become widely available in translation in the last thirty years. Vigotsky emphasized the
importance of language in interacting with people; not just speech, but signs and symbols as
well.
Pias, Fuertes and Miranda (2014) state that sociocultural paradigm is also known as
ecological or conceptual, is based on the interaction of context- individual group and takes
into account the demands of the environment and the way it influences the learning process.
Intelligence and language are products of specific socio-cultural contexts; when learning, the
student performs a social practice which is mediated by his/her sociocultural conditions.
They also say that it is considered that everyone has zone of potential development for
this reason every person has the potential to learn, cooperative learning and context are
crucial to reconstruction of meaningful knowledge.
The teaching model is the learning - teaching and the context is the most important tool.
Teacher's role is socialization, he or she is a culture and learning mediator, who enhances
interactions, generates expectations, contextualizes content and adapts them to the demands of
the context. The teacher applies to the formation of a man who develops and uses his skills
and values to live harmoniously in the context where the student belongs.
CHAPTER III
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CHAPTER IV
REFERENCES
Books
Pias, L.C., Fuertes, M.D., & Miranda, M.C., (2014). Corrientes Pedaggicas
Contemporneas. Huancayo: Universidad Nacional del Centro del Per.
Vigotsky, L., (1930). Interaction between learning and development. From mind and
society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Vigotsky, L., (1930). Mind in Society . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Williams, M., and Burden, R.L., (1997) Psychology for Language Teachers: a Social
constructivist Approach. Cambridge :Harvard University Press.
Web sites
Cherry, K., (2016) A Summary of Piaget's Stages Retrieved from
https://www.verywell.com/a-summary-of-piagets-stages-2795075, on October 15,
2016
Hurford, J. R., (1991) The evolution of the critical period for language acquisition
Cognition.40(1991)159-201. Retrieved from
http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/~jim/crit.per.pdf, on Oct. 14, 2016..
Wood, K. C., Smith, H. & Grossniklaus, D., (2014) Piaget's Stages of Cognitive
Development. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Piaget
%27s_Stages
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Wang, H., (2014) On the Constructivist Teaching of Extensive Reading for English
MajorsRetrieved from http://waset.org/publications/9997857/on-the-
constructivist-teaching-of-extensive-reading-for-english-majors, on Oct. 15,
2016
Web Links
Why children are better language learners than adults (The Critical Period Hypothesis)
(June 18, 2013) Retrieved from https://languagesalive.me/tag/eric-lenneberg/, on Oct.
2, 2016.
The on line teachers resource Piagets theory of constructivism UNL2003 Data Sheet
Retrieved from http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/constructivism/piaget/, on
Oct. 15, 2016.
Social development theory (Lev Vygotsky) Retrieved from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-development.html, on Oct. 21.10.16