What does Piaget tell us about how children

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What does Piaget tell us about how childrens
cognitive abilities develop?
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According to Piaget

• Children are little scientists who develop
  cognitively by acquiring schemas about the world
  through discovery learning
• To what extent do you agree with this view?

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• Are there things a child needs to learn about the
  world that cannot simply be discovered?

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Todays session
You are learning about... You are learning to...
Lev Vygotskys theory of cognitive development Compare and contrast theories Use research to evaluate theories
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Lev Vygotsky

• Russian psychologist, contemporary of Piaget but
  his work not published in English until after his
  death in 1934
• Believed that Piaget ignored the role of culture
  on cognitive development

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Vygotsky Piaget

• Watch the clip and decide whether Piaget and
  Vygotsky would agree or disagree on the following
  issues.
• The nature of developmental change
• The experiences that lead to development
• How children acquire knowledge
• The relationship between learning and development

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Vygotsky Piaget
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Vygotsky Piaget

• Do Vygotsky Piaget agree on...
• The nature of developmental change
• The experiences that lead to development
• How children acquire knowledge
• The relationship between learning and development

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Similarities

• V P agree that...
• Children actively construct their own knowledge
  of the world, they dont just absorb experiences
• Cognitive development involves qualitative
  changes in thinking it isnt just a matter of
  learning more things.

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Differences

• V P disagree on...
• Piaget emphasises the childs interactions with
  physical objects, Vygotsky emphasises
  interactions with people
• Piaget says that development precedes learning
  children cant learn certain things until they
  are ready. Vygotsky says that learning can drive
  development so there arent universal stages of
  development in the Piagetian sense

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Zone of proximal development

• Watch the clip and look out for these...
• What is the ZPD?
• How does it relate to the childs development
• What role do other people play?

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Zone of proximal development
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Language

• One way that others equip the child with
  strategies for thinking is through language
• Vygotsky gives language a central role in thinking

Pre-verbal thought
Early language
Verbal thought and rational speech
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Evidence

• Wood et al (1976)
• Ruffman et al (1998)
• Bruner (1966)

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Homework

• Think about your recent learning experiences and
  those you have in the next few days.
• When have you been pushed into your ZPD?
• How and by whom?
• What strategies were used to increase your level
  of unassisted performance?