Lev Vygotsky Cognitive Development

n the world of Vygotsky, a child was not a product of the environment, instead the child interacts with the environment by making choices, which moderates or influences the effect of the environment on the child. Lev Vygotsky stages of development were not defined by age or biology, the basis behind his theory was unerstanding social and cultural experiences of a child, and how they affect the the child's development. A philosophy of Vygotsky’s theory was the zone of proximal development (ZPD), this is the difference between what a child is able to solve on its own based on the stage of cognitive development, and what a child can learn with the help or experience of another person. Vygotsky believes the skill of knowledge comes from mastering new social situations where learning is shared with others. He also believed that experiences should be shared in social settings, and placed a large emphasis on the quality of group work within the cognitive development process. Within group work, children's language is encouraged to develop, through conversation, questioning and sharing cognitive content with their peers. Vygotsky believed that "social interaction enables the child to develop the intellectual skills needed for logical reasoning and thought." (Grossman, S. 2008) Through language and communication, children learn to evaluate the world and change their actions accordingly.

Adults have an active role in raising a child's cognitive development, by helping the child's “efforts and enabling the child to gain skills, knowledge, and confidence.” (Grossman, S. 2008) As children acquire skills through assisted learning, “adults slowly decrease their support until the children are able to work independently.” (Grossman, S. 2008) With...

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...hildren. Each is of great importance in developing an overview of the evolutionary concept of human development. Children's cognitive development has an intimate relationship with the emotional, social, and biological developments they face. All these aspects are involved in the development of the intelligence in children. To conclude, the contrasting but significant work of these theorists illustrate how learning theories developed over a century ago are still highly influential in behavior towards early childhood education. While there may be differences of opinion between theorists, on which provides the most effective learning method, many of the insights provided by Piaget and Vygotsky all have substantial elements of reasoning. in the modern world today, and will continue to bear significance on the studies of childhood cognitive development for years to come.