Module 7 Post 1

Module 7 covered a variety of topics having to do with cognitive development. The module discusses cognitive development through the constructivist theories, specifically the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. The module begins by describing the difference between individual constructivism (knowledge constructed independently) and social constructivism (knowledge constructed within a social setting). The module then begins to describe the differences between Piaget’s theory and that of Vygotsky. Piaget broke up cognitive development into four distinct stages: sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Humans evolve over these four stages based on aging, socializing, active exploration, and equilibration. Equilibrium, according to Piaget, is the process of maintaining a cognitive balance between our existing knowledge and new experiences. While Vygotsky’s theory was similar to that of Piaget, there are some differences between the two. Vygotsky created the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) in order to describe the social origins of individual cognitive functions. Vygotsky believed that children can only develop and learn with the help of someone more cognitively advanced (rather than a peer). Piaget believed that development occurs before learning, while Vygotsky believed that through formal learning in schools, children could advance to a higher level of development. Both theorists believed that playing and the use of the imagination play a valuable role in the child’s cognitive development.

While reading over the five principles for effective teaching, I was taken aback when I read about ‘encouraging students to be active learners.’ In the description of this principle, it said that unguided self-discovery is less effective than other teaching methods. Learning could potentially not occur if students are given too much freedom in the discovery process, according to the book. Maybe I am wrong, but I seem to remember being able to entertain myself for hours doing a simple craft activity or playing by myself when I was younger. Leading summer day camps this past summer, I was continuously frustrated to see the children get bored so easily by what I considered to be fun activities or crafts. I thought that perhaps it was because they are so used to being constantly engaged by technology and having to sit down and participate in a craft just didn’t engage them as much. However, it may be that the crafts and activities were just not structured enough? Does this make sense? I thought that letting the kids have access to craft supplies and the freedom to create whatever they wanted would be better than forcing them to make a certain craft. However, after reading this chapter, perhaps I was mistaken. Perhaps too much freedom was less helpful than having a guided activity.

While both theorists believed that play is beneficial to the development of a child, they differed in their beliefs about how play should be carried out (if that makes any sense). Piaget thought that playing would help a child use and understand symbols. Piaget was a fan of individual play, allowing the child to come up with symbols on his/her own. Vygotsky believed that individual play was important, but also how playing alone could also be social play. He believed that by using the imagination, a child creates a ZPD in which they are able to advance to higher levels of cognitive functioning. It’s believed that the use of symbolic forms advance the cognitive development of a child in three ways. First, children can create actions originating from their ideas (using the playground equipment as a castle and pretending to be royalty). Second, children can use their imagination to pretend that something isn’t what it really is, it’s something completely different. For example, a group of young girls may pretend that a football is their baby while they are playing house. The third way involves children role-playing and following rules and expectations they experience in their daily lives. An example of this includes children playing house and assigning roles such as mother, father, sister, etc. Furthermore, the ‘mother’ may say to her ‘children’ the same things that that child has heard his/her mother say in real life. Social play promotes development by allowing a child to work on social skills. Allowing the children some free time throughout the day is believed to greatly help the child learn. By giving the child some time to just play, they are more likely to process information more effectively throughout the day (especially at the times directly after a break).