preview

Similarities And Differences Between Piaget And Vygotsky

Decent Essays

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development was one of the first steps in understanding how children become who they are as adults. In early childhood, children begin to understand symbols and representations (Berk, 2014, p. 227). Their learning shifts from sensing the world as in the sensorimotor stage to trying to find commonalities like symbols. According to Berk (2014), Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory focused on “social context of cognitive development” (p. 234). Vygotsky incorporated social context and social interactions into childhood development; in other words, who, how, and what children interact with in their everyday social environment contributes to their mental and emotional development. When it comes to both of these cognitive theories, there are many similarities and differences between Piaget and Vygotsky. Both Vygotsky and Piaget thought that language had some effect on childhood development. Both Piaget and Vygotsky highly contributed to the field of education and how their theories apply to the teaching and learning environment. In Berk (2014), Piaget gave a basic framework for teachers to follow by elaborating on “discovery learning, sensitivity to children’s readiness to learn, and acceptance of individual differences” (p. 233). Following Piaget’s guidelines, teachers allow children to learn by exploring their environment and in turn, finding new problems and tasks to solve. They also incorporate activities that are applicable to all children and

Get Access