1. psychlotron.org.uk What does Piaget tell us about how children’s cognitive abilities develop?

2. psychlotron.org.uk 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?

3. psychlotron.org.uk Are there things a child needs to learn about the world that cannot simply be discovered?

4. psychlotron.org.uk Today’s session You are learning about...You are learning to... Lev Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development Compare and contrast theories Use research to evaluate theories

5. psychlotron.org.uk 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

6. psychlotron.org.uk 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

7. psychlotron.org.uk Vygotsky & Piaget

8. psychlotron.org.uk 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

9. psychlotron.org.uk Similarities V & P agree that... – Children actively construct their own knowledge of the world, they don’t just absorb experiences – Cognitive development involves qualitative changes in thinking; it isn’t just a matter of learning more things.

10. psychlotron.org.uk Differences V & P disagree on... – Piaget emphasises the child’s interactions with physical objects, Vygotsky emphasises interactions with people – Piaget says that development precedes learning – children can’t learn certain things until they are ready. Vygotsky says that learning can drive development – so there aren’t universal stages of development in the Piagetian sense

11. psychlotron.org.uk Zone of proximal development Watch the clip and look out for these... – What is the ZPD? – How does it relate to the child’s development – What role do other people play?

12. psychlotron.org.uk

13. Zone of proximal development Level of unassisted performance Zone of proximal development Level of assisted performance

14. psychlotron.org.uk 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

15. psychlotron.org.uk Evidence Wood et al (1976) Ruffman et al (1998) Bruner (1966)

16. psychlotron.org.uk 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?