Transcript Slide 1
What does Piaget tell us about how children’s cognitive abilities develop? According to Piaget • Children are little scientists who develop cognitively by acquiring schemas about the world through discovery learning • To what extent do you agree with this view? • Are there things a child needs to learn about the world that cannot simply be discovered? Today’s session You are learning about... You are learning to... • • Lev Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development • Compare and contrast theories Use research to evaluate theories Lev Vygotsky • Russian psychologist, contemporary of Piaget but his work not published in English until after his death in 1934 • Believed that Piaget ignored the role of culture on cognitive development Vygotsky & Piaget • Watch the clip and decide whether Piaget and Vygotsky would agree or disagree on the following issues. – The nature of developmental change – The experiences that lead to development – How children acquire knowledge – The relationship between learning and development Vygotsky & Piaget Vygotsky & Piaget • Do Vygotsky & Piaget agree on... – The nature of developmental change – The experiences that lead to development – How children acquire knowledge – The relationship between learning and development Similarities • V & P agree that... – Children actively construct their own knowledge of the world, they don’t just absorb experiences – Cognitive development involves qualitative changes in thinking; it isn’t just a matter of learning more things. Differences • V & P disagree on... – Piaget emphasises the child’s interactions with physical objects, Vygotsky emphasises interactions with people – Piaget says that development precedes learning – children can’t learn certain things until they are ready. Vygotsky says that learning can drive development – so there aren’t universal stages of development in the Piagetian sense Zone of proximal development • Watch the clip and look out for these... – What is the ZPD? – How does it relate to the child’s development – What role do other people play? Zone of proximal development Level of assisted performance Zone of proximal development Level of unassisted performance Language • One way that others equip the child with strategies for thinking is through language • Vygotsky gives language a central role in thinking Pre-verbal thought Early language Verbal thought and rational speech Evidence • Wood et al (1976) • Ruffman et al (1998) • Bruner (1966) Homework • Think about your recent learning experiences and those you have in the next few days. – When have you been pushed into your ZPD? – How and by whom? – What strategies were used to increase your level of unassisted performance?