Essay On Vygotsky's Theory Of Cognitive Development

There are five ways in which Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development. The very first way that teachers can use these theories to teach constructively is by providing scaffolded instruction within the ZPD for their students (292). In other words, a teacher must be able to assist children in achieving a goal that may be slightly too difficult for them to reach alone. An example of this would be if a teacher had decided that her class should do an experiment on how well plants grow based on the amount of water they receive, she could challenge her students to make a hypothesis about what they think will happen. This teacher could allow her students to individually plant their seeds and then guiding her students to predict or hypothesize what they believe will happen if one plant gets more water than another. This example directly correlates with Vygotsky’s idea of ZPD because

Children tend to learn more when they know why what they are learning is important and if that material is presented in an interesting way. Take for example a preschool teacher who needs to teach her class about the different shapes. Instead of just showing her students a poster with the different shapes on it, she has her students get out of their seats and begin exploring the classroom for differently shaped objects. Once they have found some objects, have them share with the class what the object is and what shape it is. This exercise will not only help the other students learn the shape of the object, but it will also help the student who is sharing. Piaget believed that children’s cognitive growth is fostered when they are physically able to experience certain situations. By having students share with the class what shapes their objects are, they are fostering their public speaking