Compare Piaget and Vygotsky

Cognitive breeding is the term used to describe the construction of perspective process, including remembering, problem solving and decision-making, from small fryhood d ane adolescence to adulthood. In this essay I exit compare and contrast the theories of Pi boardt and Vygotsky, both of which were enormously signifi undersidet contri exactlyors to the cognitive emergence component to/in psychology. In addition to this I will also weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of each system and outline how they can be applied to an educational activityal orbit.At the internality of Piagets possible action is the rule that cognitive victimisation occurs in a series of four distinct, universal proposition submits, each characterized by increasingly sophisticated and abstract levels of thought. He believed that these stages invariably occur in the same order, each make ups on what was fancyed in the previous stage and that the development resolvented from two influences matu ration and fundamental interaction with environs. Although Vygotskys theory works along similar lines to Piaget the belief that children were active in their reading.He focused more on the importance of social interaction and talking to and how they both play a fundamental influence on childrens development of mind. Although both psychologists ac acquaintanced that every(prenominal) children go through stages, they were distinguished by disparate styles of thinking, and approach to analysing the cognitive development process. The stages were the centre of Piagets theory while Vygotsky notwithstanding acknowledged them in his theory. Piagets theory unlike Vygotsky, generalized children into age groups and ranked their abilities accordingly.For example Piaget believed that all children that attain The concrete Operational stage (ages 7-11) have overcome centration and give-up the ghost decentred, they are cap open of mastering the principles of classification, seriation and class inclusion. stock-still, Vygotsky maintained the concept that if a child follows the adults example he will gradually develop the big businessman to do certain projects without service of process or assistance. He called the difference amid what a child can do with help and what he or she can do without guidance the zone of proximal development (ZPD).As a result of this different approach to children, we can relate this to the reason why unlike Piaget, Vygotsky acknowledged the issue of Special Educational necessitate and how some children might be of the same age as their peers but find it laborious to complete the same tasks cause of other(a) issues. Vygotsky believed that learning leads to development and that Pushing the child as such was to be back up in order to develop the potential the child can reach. On the other hand, Piagets theory was establish on biological maturation, an understanding that intelligence is gained as a process that is developed over time . two psychologists believed that interaction was the key to the development of the child. However, they both focused on a different interaction. Piaget acknowledged the importance of the childs interaction with the environment whilst Vygotsky on the other hand stressed the importance of social interaction and of having someone who knows more than the child and who can help the child learn something that would be too difficult to do alone. Piaget maxim the child as a scientist, he learnt things in solitary on his own, while Vygotsky saw the child as an apprentice because he learnt as a result of social collaboration.Consequently, the way that they viewed the role of the teacher in a childs life differed. Piaget believed that the teacher was the facilitator, the one that provides the interaction in the environment. As opposed to Vygotskys belief that the teacher is the expert that provides the scaffolding affirm to children as they are learning new things. In addition to this Vygot sky believed that language was crucial for the cognitive development. He believed that the enceinteest advantage in development comes when we get to the stage of being able to internalise language.One of the biggest differences surrounded by these theories was that Vygotsky was able to put his theories into practice in a school setting. contrary Piaget, who was of an academic background and didnt apply his theories. Never the little, they both theories influenced education and empahsied the importance of assessment however Vygotsky wanted the observation of children and their abilities to be as valied as test scores. Most of the criticism of Piagets work is in regards to his research methods. A major source of his inspiration for the theory was based on his observations of his own children.And because of this small sample group, people believe that it is difficult and incorrect to generalise his findings to a larger population. Similarly, many psychologists believe that Piaget u nderestimated the age which children could accomplish certain tasks and that sometimes children understand a concept to begin with they are able to demonstrate their understanding of it. For example, children in the Sensori ride stage may not search for a hidden object because their motor dexteritys are not developed, rather than because they lack object permanence. This has been supported by evidence from Bower & Wishart (1972).They found that the way that an object is made to fly influences the childs response. As well as this, Piagets theory has been said to overestimate that every child and adult reaches the beal operative stage of knowledge development. Dasen (1994) claims that only a third of adults ever reach this stage. The lack of data-based support in regards to Piagets suggestion that the cognitive development is built from the conflict that endures by placing the child in a state of disequilibrium was critisied by other psychologists. For example, Inhelder et al. 1 974) showed that children learn better in situations of around the bend conflict. Also, Piaget focused on childrens mistakes and thus may have miss important mental abilities of the children by focusing on in what participation did they make their error during the task. Although Piagets theory has quite a down of criticism, he will always be known as one of the most influential psychologists. His theory is known to have had a great contribution to education and has provided a starting point for other psychologists research which has helped us develop and understand the cognitive development.When compared with Piagets theory, a major weakness to Vygotskys theory is that there is little empirical research relation to it. This is probably due to his early death and because the theory focuses on the process of the cognitive development and not of the outcomes like Piagets. In addition to this, many psychologists believe that vygotsky might have over forceful the influence that soci al interaction on childrens learning capabilities. However on the other hand, it is said that he underemphasized the biological and individual factors of the cognitive development.Vygotsky encouraged being aware of the children potential and how with the proper assistance or support from an adult or a peer with more knowledge the child is capable of learning more. Through this simple observation he gave it the term of Zone of Proximal Development . Hughs (1975) and Donaldson (1978) proved this by present that the same tasks that Piaget set for the children can be made understandable by making them more child friendly by providing a long-familiar social atmosphere.The practical application of the ideas presented by both Piagets and Vygotskys theories in a classroom could help a classroom operate on more smoothly by providing the teacher with different inform methods. A teacher following Piagets theories would be possible to group children of similar levels of development togethe r. The teacher would encourage abstract thought during discussions, and be certain to build on previous breeding that the students had been given.However, when testing the skills and knowledge of the students, the teacher would be more likely to use questions that evoked concrete answers such as true or false questions. The teacher would be more likely to go over past information add new information, portion individual dole outments, and then test the students knowledge on the subject. On the other hand, a teacher following Vygotskys theories would be more likely to form groups of diverse students with different skill levels and different levels of knowledge, possibly even setting up tutors for slower students.The teacher would be more likely to assign group projects and give the students problems to solve, as opposed to asking questions that can be answered with a concrete answer. In addition to this, the teacher should attempt to give rise a less(prenominal)on that would incor porate all three stages of learning by providing the information to the students, allowing diverse groups to work together and then assigning an individual task that tests the students ability to think through the information and problem on their own. Which would help prove that with the help they received before they were apable of doing the next task by themselves. Although both theories can be applied to an educational setting, their implications on a classroom would arise in different manners. By only applying Piagets theory in a classroom, for example grouping children of similar levels of development would produce a group of smart children and a group of less capable children. In doing this, the classroom could become a place where the less capable children would be known as underachievers and taunted by the more academical children.Similarly, only applying Vygotskys theory in an educational, for example, by forming groups of diverse students with different skill levels an dif ferent levels of knowledge together, only applying Vygotskys theory in an educational, the able children will always be assisting the less able and it may obturate their abilities to learn. In conclusion, I think that both Piagets and Vygotskys theories call different insight into how children learn and that maybe by combining the different ideas from both of them would help in building a good teaching classroom.