Katie Finley
Journal 3
PART ONE
While reading the Windschitl & Hirsch articles, I felt both informed and interested on the different positions on the main question. The main question asks about if schools should have their own educational constructivist approach. The article written by Windschitl agrees having an educational constructivist approach, while Hirsch on the other hand disagrees. Each other others did a wonderful job on elaborating their positions on the point, and provided excellent examples, and great detail. Each of these articles exhibited both similarities and differences regarding the main question.
One of the similarities, which both Windschitl and Hirsch share is about there are challenges that exist in an educational
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One reason that I believe they are is, because they have two very different views on the question. I believe the only major similarity they have is they recognize and mention the negative aspects of both this approach and the previous ones. Winschitl does elaborate more on the expectations on how the positives of this approach will help student’s teacher centered/ fact based thinking, but holds a such a crucial part in developing students actual thinking and processing of information. Hirsch dwells on how he disagrees with this point of Windschitl’s, because he fails to recognizes the research regarding this approach. These two hold such contrasting opinions on this question. They both make a case on the points very well, but they hold fewer similarities on the question at …show more content…
This reading reminded me about how Vygotsky’s theory is mostly based on the interactions and influences help children to learn. I really do believe this theory is very accurate, because students can learn from each other. If a teacher is having trouble explaining a complex topic to a student, another student can explain it in more relatable way. Also, I was fascinated when I read about what cultural tools, were and how they related to Vygotsky’s beliefs. Learning about what cultural tools were, helped me to broaden my understanding of how crucial cultural tools are to student’s learning process. Also, the chapter did a great job of elaborating on how these tools can help to advance and grow in the understanding of student’s thinking process. Another aspect of this reading that interested me was the elaboration on private speech and the Zone of Proximal Development. Each of the definitions displayed help me to advance my own thinking on what it was and how it is used in regards to the education of students. The description of what private speech and how it is basically the inner narration of their thinking process helped me to understand how this aspect can help with students learning. Also, the Zone of Proximal Development helped me to make a connection to both what is and how it relates to private speech as well. The Zone of proximal development plays a crucial role in the
Theories abound about the learning process. Learning can occur in all different environments but what is it that truly fosters cognitive development? Lev Vygotsky theorised that children’s cognitive development is explicitly related to language and social interaction, and that through social interaction, children learn how to use language and experience the world as a member of their specific culture. In examining Vygotsky’s theories it is important as a future teacher to consider the implications of his ideas in my own teaching. I considered Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development.
In Eugene F. Provenzo Jr.’s article “Hirsch’s Desire for a National Curriculum,” the main focus is on how E. D. Hirsch Jr. believed that our nation needed a very clear set of curriculum standa...
...y means when he says that is our development is from the people around us. People act and behave a certain way around other people, learning new ideals, thoughts, and actions. Eventually when people are acquainted with others for some time they begin to take those experiences that they learned from them and make it their own. In addition to Vygotski focused on More Knowledgeable Other or MKO for short. The MKO refers to anyone who has a greater perceptive or an elevated ability level than the learner. An example would be a teacher, coach, parent, older sibling teaching a peer of theirs about something. As well as, Vygotski also created the Zone of Proximal Development which is the distance between the student’s comprehensive ability to execute task under the teachers guidance and/or with peer association and the student’s ability to solve the problem by themselves.
Lev Vygotsky stages of development were not defined by age or biology. Social and cultural experiences were the basis for his theory. Consciousness was an end product of social interactions (Kearsley, 1994-2010). The history of the child’s society and his own personal history determine how the child thinks. Language is crucial for development as it is with words that a child conceptualizes and makes sense of the world (Schütz, 2004). A precept of Vygotsky’s theory wa...
Vygotsky placed much more emphasis on language that Piaget (book). Vygotsky’s theory focuses on the role of interpersonal processes and the role of the child’s community and culture which provide a framework from which the child’s construction of meaning develops (book). Although Vygotsky stressed that the process must be in in the context of the child’s culture and the tools available within that culture. Vygotsky was always especially interested in cognitive processes which underline understanding which has led to the concept of shared understandings that occur when people communicate with each other. Vygotsky argued that through the use of language formed through social interaction a child can develop as a thinker and a learner (book). As a conscious individual people could not accomplish very much without the aids and tools within their culture such as language (book). Piaget argued that language was strongly influenced by the underlying cognitive structures within the individual child (book). They also disagreed on the egocentric speech of children. When observing children Piaget concluded that half of the mistakes children made was down to egocentric speech which he argued showed that children have not tried to communicate with another or adapted so others can understand them he also argued that young children did not seem to care if anyone else could understand them and
John-Steiner, V., & Mahn, H. (1996). Sociocultural Approaches to Learning and Development: A Vygotskian Framework. Educational Psychologist, 191-206.
Vygotsky believes that a child’s cognitive development originates in socialization activities, and then goes through a process of increasing individuation. He argued that self-directed speech did not show any cognitive immaturity, but did show some form of development. He claims that private speech represents a functional differentiation in the speech of a child, or that a child begins to differentiate between speech that is directed towards the others and speech that is self-directed.
Gredler, M. (2012). Understanding Vygotsky for the Classroom: Is It Too Late?. Educational Psychology Review, 24(1), 113-131. doi:10.
The inspiration for this paper comes from the Fiftieth Anniversary of the death of Alfred North Whitehead and the theme of this Congress. In Aims of Education, Whitehead describes the role of freedom and limitation in the educational process. The foundations of these concepts, and important clues to their application, can be found in his general metaphysical framework outlined in Process and Reality. Positive and negative prehensions seem to be the model for freedom and limitation; hence, the latter concept implies the discipline of subjective aim. This analysis supports an interpretation of the mutual complementarity of freedom and discipline, with obvious applications to the educational process.
Another similarity between Carl Roger and Jean Piaget would that be an individual is in control of their own learning. If an individual wants to learn it is their responsibility to do the work and participate in their own learning process. Carl Rogers and Jean Piaget both believed that the environment played an important role in learning. Carl Rogers believed that in order to learn the environment should be a safe non-threatnening environment. Jean Piaget believed that the environment was important in adaption of a person, meaning a person would adapt to the environment around them. Jean Piaget was a strong believer in adaptation. Adaptation is important because Jean Piaget believed that a child was able to pick up certain things from the environment and learn and adapt using what they picked
For Vygotsky, children are seen as active beings on their development through social interactions with parents, teachers, and other adults, as well as by participating in their cultural activities. The interactions they have with other individuals and their culture opens their minds to new information and helps develop skills not previously attained. To further understand cognitive development in Piaget and Vygotsky’s theory, we must first look at the processes involved.
Vygotsky believed that during the early stages of life as infants, language (nonconceptual speech) and thinking (nonverbal thought) were separate areas of development. Nonconceptual speech would be a child mumbling words without completely understanding their meaning. A child observing or playing with an object without using words would be nonverbal thought. As intellectual development continues, verbal thought begins connecting these two areas during early childhood. When this starts happening, children start using self-directed speech, “a verbal behavior in which children talk to themselves, naming objects or narrating their actions-particularly as they solve problems” (Trawick-Smith, 2010, p.53). This action demonstrates that children are being guided in learning through using language. Vygotsky believed that this verbal thought became more and more prominent throughout development and this learning continued to progress within the rest of the child’s life.
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
Vygotsky believed that children learn through social interaction with adults. He also believed that dialogue with others help a child in promoting cognitive development. Adults, teachers and peers have major impact on the child development of mental processes.
Throughout the history of early childhood education educators have used various theorists’ theories to develop children’s learning and development. One of the most significant theories is the socio-cultural theory by Vygotsky. His theory consists of how private speech is used by children and the importance of the zone of proximal development. Vygotsky’s theory is well used in the education environment today and educators use it to be able to provide activities that aren’t too difficult for the children to engage in. Therefore Vygotsky’s theory has enabled educators to have a better understanding of how children learn and develop.