For this question, I will be begin by listing the basic assumptions of each theory. According to Piaget, he believes children are active and motivated learners. This means they are actively explore the world around them. Second, he believes children children construct rather than absorb knowledge. I believe this as well because most of what I believed about the world around me came from my past experiences. Third, children learn through a combination of assimilation and accommodation. They try to take what they know and apply to new information. Fourth, interactions with one’s physical and social environments are essential for cognitive development. I also agree with this assumption because a lot of the information students come into school with comes from their parents, community, cultural background etc. Fifth, the process of equilibration promotes progression toward increasingly complex thought. Finally, children think in qualitatively different ways at different ages.
According to Lev Vygotsky, adults convey to children the way their culture interprets the world through formal schooling and informal conversation. Next, he believes that each culture passes down physical and cognitive tools that make daily living more productive and efficient. Third, thought and language become increasingly interdependent in the first few years of life. Fourth, complex mental processes begin as social activities and transform into internal mental activities that children use interdependently. Fifth, he argues that children can perform more challenging tasks when assisted by more advanced and competent individuals. Finally, he believes that challenging tasks promote maximum cognitive growth.
As far as my opinion goes, I think it is important to pay attention to both theories of cognitive development because both have vital information about how children learn. Also, I feel as though the way I go about accommodating students who are not yet working at the level of their peers is different for each child. The first thing I would do is analyze the situation and try to figure out where the student is having difficulty. For example, if a student says that his/her way of doing things is the right and only way to doing things, I would know this child does not understand that people have different opinions about the world around them. This would make it easier for me to help the student! The moment he/she expresses signs of egocentric thinking, I would sit down and explain that others think differently. I would also ask probing questions as to why he or she thinks that way. Another thing I would do is relate abstract, hypothetical, or complex ideas to concrete objects and observable events. For example, if a child is learning about gravity, I might hold an object up in the air and drop it on the ground. This would help the child understand the definition of gravity. Finally, I would cognitively model my thought process about various subject matter and scaffold the student. For example, I might work with the student on a math problem and go over how I would solve the problem. Or, I might try to cue my students to think in a certain way. For example, if we were learning how to add, I might say “well we know that subtraction means you take away something; so what do you think we should do if we want to add these two number together?”
(2.2) Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2, paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.
I believe language plays a critical role in cognitive development! Therefore, I will definitely use some of these strategies in my future elementary classroom (2nd grade). One of the suggested strategies was to assign reading materials that introduce new vocabulary words. A great way to do this would be to hand pick the literary material that goes into the class library and allow the students to choose a book of their choice. This way they will learn new vocabulary words and enjoy what they read at the same time. I think children have to enjoy what they are doing to really soak in the information, which is why independent reading is so useful! Next, the table suggested to introduce some of the terminology used by experts in various academic disciplines such as similes, molecules, etc. I would most likely try to relate these vocabulary terms to real-world experiences. For example, I might say, “my dog is as fast as a cheetah,” or “her golden hair is like the color of the sun.” I would then explain the comparisons and the appropriate terminology. Next, I would definitely incorporate debates into my classroom. This would be extremely useful in terms of political events. Also, it would allow the students a chance to hear other people’s opinions. The table also suggests that we as teachers ask our students to consider the underlying meaning of various information. I think this is extremely important because students need to be able to explain why they feel the way they do in the classroom! Finally, it says to explore the nature of words and language as entities in and of themselves. While I will for sure incorporate this into my future classroom, I am not exactly sure how I will go about this!
Madelyne, I like the examples you used when expanding on the book's suggestions. I really like the idea of hand picking the class librbay books. If the chilren are intrested in the materals they are more likly to read the books!
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