QTC Chapter 2

2.1
As I understand Piaget and Vygotsky, I can think of two very important things to do with my struggling students. In accordance with Piaget, I would make sure my students had has many experiences as possible. Exposing students to a wide range of activities would allow them to develop certain skills that they had yet to experience, which will aid them in their cognitive development. I would also follow Vygotsky's recommendation and try to challenge students with the Zone of Proximal Development. In this, I would attempt to discover exactly what the student's were capable of, in respective to a given subject. I would then, without taking a grade, truly challenge them to the point where they may become frustrated. I would then back down the difficulty slightly, and allow the students to work through possible but still challenging material. Vygotsky said that this technique would allow students to rise to the challenge and grow from that challenging experience. I think these two strategies matches up very well with Piaget and Vygotsky's ideas.

2.2.
Language is especially important when considering the cognitive development of children and adolescents. In high school, I would make it a point to be sure the students are developing a mature and competent vocabulary. It is important that students are aware of the words that they are supposed to use in the classroom and that they understand those words, in various contexts. Another important skill in high school is public speaking. Students, even those who are not thrilled with the idea, need to be exposed to public speaking. Finally, I think written language skills are paramount to develop during this time. They now know how write and construct sentences and paragraphs. Being able to do so effectively and eloquently are invaluable to future academic success and employment.