There are many different theories in regards to learning and this is due to the fact that we all learn in different ways. The theories of learning are not engraved in stone, with each one presenting its own insight into how people learn. Theories such as behaviourism, constructivism and social constructivism present their own definition of learning with the strengths and weaknesses of each being transparent. Considering these learning theories one can critically analyse and examine these approaches and how they can apply to teaching, promoting inclusive practice.
Learning can be defined as (Pritchard 2014):
• A change in behaviour as a result of experience or practice.
• The acquisition of knowledge.
• Knowledge gained through study.
• To gain
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In essence, his theory suggests that we do not learn because we developed rather we developed because we have learned. Learning being social means that children learn through social interactions with adults and their peers, which links to his idea of the ‘zone of proximal Development’ (ZPD) and ‘more knowledgeable other’ (MKO).
Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development was not a fully developed concept due to his death in 1934. But he defined it as:
The distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers. (Vygotsky 1978, p.86)
The adult or peer are more able at a certain set of skills, which the individual is trying to acquire but is unable to do independently because the individual doesn’t have the knowledge or skills to advance. So the more able adult or peer assist the individual to acquire the knowledge and bridge the learning gap. This can be linked to teaching in schools where the teacher and peers bridge the cap across the ZPD. This also relates to the MKO idea where the MKO aids the learner with their more developed knowledge in a certain skill. In a school setting the teachers and peers would be considered more knowledgeable others while supporting a child understand a
...mal development and the concept of social interaction and its benefits to cognitive development, will be at the forefront of my mind as I work on planning meaningful and effective lessons and learning experiences in my future classroom.
Powell, K. Kalina, C. (2009). Cognitive and Social Constructivism: Developing Tools for an Effective Classroom. Education, 130(2), 241-250. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/pqdweb?did=1937522441&Fmt=7&clientId=22212&RQT=309&VName=PQD. (Document ID: 1937522441).
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
Four years later in 1917, Vygotsky graduated from Moscow University and landed a job as a literature teacher at one of the local secondary schools in Gomel, Russia. He would continue his work as a teacher from 1917-1924, when he resigned to accept a job at the local teacher’s college. There, one of Vygotsky’s responsibilities was to teach courses in psychology, which is what sparked his interest in psychology, specifically cognitive development of children. During 1924, Vygotsky met a man by the name of Alexander Luria who worked at Moscow’s Institute of Psychology (MIP). Impressed by Vygotsky’s work, Luria offered him a job working at MIP, which allowed him the opportunity to work and study the cognitive development of children and adults suffering from numerou...
The period of childhood is the most significant in the establishment of human beings as mature, independent and socially active people. Thus, no wonder that children 's psychological development was thoroughly studied by such psychologists as Piaget, Freud, Vygotsky and many more. All of them have seen their own principles of development and pointed the key topics and elements that influenced the most. Why is it so important to explore the childhood development? Multiple researches and evidences show that the brain is especially sponge like during the first few years of growing up. This is the time, when kids
ZaretsKii, V. (2009, November–December). The Zone of Proximal Development: What Vygotsky Did Not Have Time to Write. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 47(6,), 70–93.
Nature versus nurture is an argument in psychology over whether a person’s innate qualities and behaviors are caused from their environment or if they’re born with it. Vygotsky places more emphasis on the social factors that contribute to cognitive development, in other words he is in favor of the nurture argument. He believes that everyone learns from their culture, environment, and social interactions. He talks about a few of his theories like the zone of proximal development, and a more knowledgeable other. He also expresses his thoughts on developmental tools and the importance of language to cognitive development. All of these factors together support his idea that children’s behavior is learned.
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a psychologist who developed a theory that was completely unlike any other psychologists at that time. His idea, called Cognitive Development, stated that the actual chronological age of an adolescent is not as important as the age they experience things, or the experiential age. Cognitive is defined as “the ability to reason, make judgments, and learn” (Gorman & Anwar, 2014). Piaget goes on to describe the importance of coping with the ever-changing environment as an integral part of intelligence, and the next level of developmental stage cannot be obtained until one completes the current stage. Piaget’s Developmental Theory involves four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operations.
“Once a child is born we begin helping them with tasks that are too difficult to master alone but that can be learned with guidance and assistance which is the (ZPD) zone of proximal development.”(Morrison, 2009 sec 14.6.1) this is the major concept of Lev Vygotsky theory. As our children grow we will interact with them throughout their lives. We may feel that a child should be at a certain stage in life; which would fit perfectly into Piagets theory that a child develops in stages. However we have always helped them with task; we sit back, observe the child trying the task, and when they c...
Lev Vygotsky developed his theory of learning in the 1920’s but it was not until the late 1960’s that his ideas about learning became popular and were used to contribute to “Constructivism” as a method of teaching. (Krause [et al.] 2010 p. p81).
Children’s from this stage remain egocentric for the most part but to begin to internalize representations. (Piaget, 1999). Concrete operational stage is children to age seven to eleven. They develop the ability to categorize objects and how they relate to one another. A child’s become more mastered in math by adding and subtracting. If a child eat one brownie out of a jar containing six. By doing the math there would be 5 brownies left by counting the remaining brownies left in the jar because they are able to model the jar in their
Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory is focused on the belief that development precedes learning, specifically upon individual development of one’s knowledge through independent learning and experiences (Lourenco, 2012). Piaget’s theory discusses how an individual’s surroundings affect their development resulting in a series of changes in the understandings of their environment.
... go beyond the information given in order to generate ideas of his or her own.” (Smith, Cowie, Blades, p509) This can be utilized in earlier childhood in order to help the younger kids attain these skills and begin using them earlier on in the academic process.
Even though Piaget didn’t believe in the significance of inputs that could be acquired from the environment, but yet Vygotsky was very confident that children that children where very acknowledgeable of the inputs from their environment around them. Piaget’s cognitive development theory has four stages to it. His first stage was the sensorimotor stages which happens from birth until a child is two years old. This stages infants rely solely on their reflexes like rooting and sucking. Preoperational stage is the 2nd stage and it happen from the age of 2years old up until a child is 7 years of age, and during this stage children feel as if everyone thinks like they do. His 3rd stage is known as the concrete operational stage, that occurs when children are 7-11 years of age and during this stage children will start to feel a lot of improvement in their thinking. Piaget’s last stage was known as the formal operational stage, and at this stage children are able to understand and recognize symbols, and master abstract thinking. Children are also have the ability to solve intricate problems on their own. And even in contrast, Vygotsky assumed that there are no set of phases. And even in contrast Vygotsky thought that there was no set of phrase for children. But he felt that private speech was way more essential to the aid for children when they are thinking about an issue they are having/ going through. Private speech can be internalized sooner or later, but it’s something that never goes away. Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky didn’t think that the development could be detached from social context while children can create knowledge and lead their
By using Vygotsky’s theory, educators are able to realize what a child is able to do with assistance and they can help a child develop the skills on their own. They are engaged in the discovery process, but they are receiving guidance from a more knowledgeable source.