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Piaget Vs Vygotsky : Piaget And Vygotsky

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Compare Two Famous Educators: Piaget vs. Vygotsky
Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are often considered the most influential cognitive development and learning psychologists of the 20th century. Their research efforts have inspired numerous interpretations and spawned new outlets of approaching developmental psychology. The following paragraphs will analyze the theories of Piaget of Vygotsky and discuss how their research can be used to advance the use of cognitive development in learning, both traditional and online.
Summary
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) theorized that children develop along a sequential, linear path consisting of predetermined stages. These stages are governed by the child 's interaction with his/her environment and personalized …show more content…

Vygotsky argued that children learned from peers and adults who were more knowledgeable. This observation led to the development of the Zone of Proximal Development (Lourenço, 2012). In summary, the zone describes the area between what the learner knows and what the learner could know with guidance from more knowledgeable peers and adults. It is in this zone, that cognitive development occurs. In addition, Vygotsky’s focus on language influence has impacted how educators approach mathematical learning leading to significant practical applications (Fusion, 2009).
While Piaget and Vygotsky both focused on the factors that influence cognitive development, this is where the similarities end. Piaget concentrated on informal learning based on individualism and Vygotsky dedicated his research to the significance of social constructs on cognitive development.
Similarities in theories
Some debate exists regarding the similarities, or rather what are considered the similarities, between Vygotsky’s and Piaget’s theories (Ferreira Alves, 2014; Lourenço, 2012). The underlying theoretical constructs are argued to be more similar, explaining the differences as non-consequential to the potential practical applications (Lourenço, 2012). Although Piaget subscribed to autonomy and internal thought processes as the engine for cognitive development, he too understood the importance of social interaction (Lourenço, 2012).

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