Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development v.s. Vygotsky's Theory

WHAT?
This week we learned about Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development v.s. Vygotsky's Theory.

In Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development, he defines four different stages of cognitive development:

1 - Sensorimotor Stage: (birth to age 2) During this stage, schemes are based largely on behaviors and perceptions and what is in their immediate view. They also develop an understanding of cause and effect during this stage.

2 - Preoperational Stage: (age 2 until 6 or 7) During this stage, children can think about objects and events beyond their immediate view. However, they lack the ability to reason in logical adult like ways.

3 - Concrete Operations Stage: (age 6 or 7 to age 11 or 12) During this stage, children begin to reason in an adult like logic but this is limited to concrete reality. They begin to display deductive reasoning and can draw logical inferences from information that they are given.

4 - Formal Operations Stage: (age 11 or 12 through adulthood) During the Formal Operations Stage, logical reasoning processes can be applied to concrete and abstract ideas

Vygotsky's theories outlines several different aspects to consider:

- Guided Participation: Vygotsky's believes that adults play an important part of children's learning process.

- Peer Interactions: In addition to the important role of adults, peer interaction also plays a key role in the learning process. Both peer and adult interaction are very important to Vygotsky's.

- Socio-Cultural Learning: The cultural environment a child is raised in has a great impact on the child's ability to learn and know different things.

- Importance of play: Vygotsky's believed that children learn so much during play. They need to be given opportunities for play to be able to help them develop and grow.

- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): Vygotsky's defines this as "the range of tasks that a learner can perform with the help and guidance of others but cannot yet perform independently."

- Scaffolding: A support mechanism that provides a guidance for the learner until they are strong enough to support the learning on their own. As the structure gains stability the scaffolding is gradually removed.

SO WHAT?
It's important to understand about both Piaget and Vygotsky's because educators need to know the stages of development and what influences contribute to their students learning. We need to know what to expect at each age of development and what we can do as educators to provide the scaffolding needed to provide the best learning experience possible and develop age appropiate lessons.

NOW WHAT?
I believe that it's important to use both Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories in my teaching. Not only do I need to understand the stages of cognitive development that Piaget outlined, but I need to realize that the cultural background and adult interactions outlined by Vygotsky also play a critical part of the child's learning process.