Cognitive Development, Chapter 2

What?
We discussed in class Cognitive Development and focused on the main theorists, Piaget and Vygotsky. Their main differences can be seen below.


Piaget VS. Vygotsky
Individual Constructivism - Social Constructivism
Role of environment - Role of culture
Interaction with peers - Interactions with adults
Theory derived from observation - Theory derived from observation

Piaget also had the idea of the process of equilibration which included assimilation
and accommodation, which is giving information to students which make them stop and realize what you are giving them, does not go along with their past knowledge and helping them come to accommodations with the new knowledge. He also had his stages of development which included sensorimoto (0-2), Preoperational (2-7), Concrete Operational (7-11), Formal Operational (12+). These four stages are sectioned by age and define the child's capabilities during that age with brain development.

Vygotsky theorized on the ideas of inner speech verses self-talk and Zone Proximal Development which is the ideal zone for an individuals learning; too hard would be above the ZPD and too low would be above the ZPD.

So What?

As a teacher it is vital to understand where your students brain capacity is and what they are capable of doing. Also knowing where they are can help you plan your lessons accordingly. So many teachers don't realize that many of their lessons aren't in the ZPD area and are either way to high or way to low.
Understanding the development of children, especially those in middle school can help us as teachers understand not just their ecclesiastical development but also their emotional development. Many of Piaget's and Vigotsky's when compared are on two ends of the spectrum which gives us the ability to use both to see what works for our students. Many of their ideas, although different are both right.

Now What?
What I will be using mainly from this chapter and discussion is using the process of equilibrium. I want my students to stop and question what they are learning and have them to use their critical thinking skills to resolve any conflicts that occur in class. To do that, I need to do some more research on the topic as well as activities and examples others have used to use it in their classroom. I also would like to get examples of what it is NOT.