| What are the similarities and differences between Piaget's and Vygotsky's descriptions of cognitive development? | 1. Both held the now widely accepted idea that learners, instead of passively receiving knowledge from others, actively construct it for themselves. However, Piaget believed that learners construct knowledge essentially on their own, whereas Vygotsky believed that knowledge is first constructed in a social environment and then internalised by individuals.
2. Piaget believed that social interaction and language are primarily mechanisms for disrupting equilibrium, which is then reestablished when people reconstruct their understanding and advance their thinking. Vygotsky, in contrast, believed that social interaction and language directly cause develoment (Rogoff, 2003).
3. Piaget viewed cognitive development as occurring largely outside the boundaries of a particular culture, whereas Vygotsky believed that development provides the cognitive tools that individuals use to function within a particular culture (Bjorklund, 2012; P. Miller, 2011).
4. Both suggest that individuals are cognitively active in constructing knowledge. This suggests we should limit our use of lecturing and explaining as teaching strategies and instead should actively involve students in learning activities. |
| What are the contributions of Piaget's theory of cognitive development? | 1. Was the first to take a comprehensive look at cognitive development.
2. Made educators aware that children's thinking is qualitatively different from adult's thinking.
3. Helped educators understand that learning is an active process during which lectures construct their own knowledge.
4. Has an enormous influence on school curriculum with his emphasis on the importance of experience in development. |
| What are the contributions of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of development? | 1. Made educators realise that culture has a powerful influence on cognitive development.
2. Recognised the role that adults and MKOs play in cognitive development.
3. Helped educators understand that learning and development are substantially social processes.
4. Provided the theoretical foundation for many of today's approaches to classroom teaching and learning. |
| Describe some criticisms against Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of development. | 1. Was vague about the specific mechanisms of cognitive growth.
2. Failed to account for the impact of individual experiences and their influence on cognitive development.
3. Culture is mainly a question of power. The hegemony of a main culture (e.g. capitalism, authoritarianism, colonialism etc.) will hardly be questioned in a classroom setting. Where is the freedom of thought and expression? |
| Describe some criticisms against Piaget's theory of cognitive development. | 1. Underestimated the abilities of young children and overestimated the abilities of older students.
2. Failed to recognise that students' thinking depends more on their background knowledge and experiences than Piaget suggested.
3. Piaget's stages don't adequately describe development for a number of tasks.
4. Piaget's theory doesn't adequately consider the role of culture in development.
5. Piaget assumes that individuals are readily motivated and industrial individuals to reestablish equilibrium which is not often the case. |
