Ed Chapter 2 Handout:
From the PowerPoint Presentation:
Piaget and Vygotsky
I. Basic Premise of each theory
A. Piaget
* Children actively construct their knowledge based on experience. When biology permits, the child moves
into a qualitatively new stage of thinking because the old has become inadequate.
B. Vygotsky
*when the child is ready, cognitive development occurs because the child and environment are mutually
interacting. Development is smooth and continuous, building on what has been learned previously.
II. Major Tenets of Each Theory: Piaget
*stage theory (qualitative change)
*based on schemes (mental organizations) that start as motor activities
*use of assimilation and accommodation
Piaget’s Cognitive Development
Stage
Description
Sensorimotor
-exploration through direct sensory and motor contact. Object Permanence and
b-2 yrs
separation anxiety develop
Preoperational
-use of symbols (words/images) to represent objects but does not reason
2-6 years
logically. Pretend Play. Egocentric.
Concrete Operational
-logical thought about concrete objects. Passes conservation tasks
7-12 years
Formal operational
-can reason about abstract concepts and think hypothetically
12 years +
III. Major Tenets of Each Theory: Vygotsky
*Cog. Development is a result of working with others socially to solve problems.
*How kids interact with others (school etc) is determined by a culture.
The ZPD (zone of proximal development) is where ability increases
*scaffolding (assistance provided by others) helps.
*cultural tools (language, math, religion, paper, calculators) and the tasks a culture emphasizes may influence
this process.
*individual differences may influence this process
IV. Commonalities
*Both believe that the child is active in cognitive development.
*Both agree that cognitive conflict may initiate development
*Both believe that language is important, although they differ on their views of egocentric speech.
V. Major Conflicts: Culture & Experience
* *Whereas Piaget believed that all children should pass through these stages in a culturally invariant order and
at about the same time, Vygotsky believed that culture and individual differences impact cognitive development
more seriously.
Cross Cultural research:
1. Although Piaget’s order appears accurate, cognitive advances may happen at different ages or not at all.
2. What a culture emphasizes effects what is learned
3. training can influence performance on Piagetian tasks
V. Major Conflicts: Egocentric Speech
*Piaget believed that private speech dies out and is replaced by social speech. Piaget thought that thought and
language start with the individual and become social.
*Vygotsky believed that private speech is an important step between social speech and inner speech and that
language starts out as social and becomes individual.
V. Massive Conflict: Direction of development
*Piaget believed that learning begins in the child and moves outward, and that cognitive development occurs
before learning. (because my memory improved I am able to learn)
*Vygotsky believed that learning begins in the world and is brought to the child and that learning causes
cognitive development. (because I have learned, my memory has improved)
VI. Implications for Teaching
*Piaget:
-provide discovery learning.
-challenge illogical or egocentric thought
-use concrete examples for abstract concepts
*Vygotsky:
-assess and teach within each child’s ZPD
-utilize scaffolding & cognitive tools
-use one on one, group work, guided participation and reciprocal teaching
Piaget & Vygotsky explain Monopoly
Birth-2
Child’s Skill
Piaget
Vygotsky
Result of Game
Better Game to
Play
2-6years
6-12 years
12 and over
Can move along the Can play, can’t plan May play better
board, does not
ahead
than you
understand rules
Sensorimotor Stage Preoperational
Concrete
Formal Operational
Stage
Operational Stage
Stage
The child becomes better at the game by working with others whose skill levels exceed
their own. Acquisition of these skills will depend on the culture the child is learning in
and the readiness of the particular child.
Money damp; boot
Child gets bored
Your cunning
Humiliating defeat
missing, presumed
quickly, you win by acquisition of all 4
lost
default
railroads leads you
to victory!
Legos
Candlyland
Battleship
Can play with
pieces