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.