preview

Development Of A Child And Adult

Better Essays

Teaching is necessary to educate children and adults in order to open a wider world and understanding. However, everyone takes in educational concepts differently and all adults and children have different speeds in which they develop. This concept leads to a few proposed theories which were studied by Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget in the early 20th century, possibly changing the way educators and psychologists viewed the development of a child and adult although their work did not receive light until recently. Between these educators, there are theories which are effective and some that are not, arising many criticisms. Nevertheless, the changes made as a result of these theories are studied through the scenario of Mr. Gino and Mrs. Van by …show more content…

Gino is a secondary teacher who recently had the chance to observe the learning environment of Mrs. Vans primary school class. After these observations, he realised the importance of some elements such as engaging the students in class. As shown above and in Piaget’s theory, although group work can be important, independent learning must also be in place for children to learn. An example of this is assimilation, where students gain new knowledge and experience from their past mistakes building upon their preexistent schemas. As these schemas adapt to new knowledge over time, they evolve and it is stored in their long – term memory.
However, Vygotsky, on the other hand, mentioned that in order to educate someone it must happen in small groups with one better performing student indicating the importance of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Vygotsky, 1978). The ZDP is the difference between a child’s actual development level and potential development level, undertaken by a child performing tasks with assistance from a more knowledgeable/capable peer or teacher (Duchesne & McMaugh, 2016). This notion is both effective on the social and cognitive development of a young child as the theory of play is also interconnected, helping the child to develop. The ZPD is very closely intertwined with the indication of scaffolding where teachers or others provide support towards the learner in order to enable a task to be completed successfully by adjusting to the

Get Access