(2.1) One of the most cited theories of human development is that of Swiss biologist Jean Piaget. After reading about Piaget’s basic assumptions (p. 27-32) look with particular attention at the stage of child development you would like to teach. The other most cited theory of human development belongs to Russian developmentalist Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development leads us to expect greater diversity among our same-aged students than Piaget. Given these two influential theorists’ ideas on cognitive development, how might you accommodate students who are not yet working at the level of their peers?
Accommodations based on Piagets' and Vygotskys' basic assumptions:
- Make sure to pre-assess all students and establish prior knowledge because reasoning skills vary from culture to culture and through different stages of development.
- Provide models.
- Confront misconceptions with evidence.
- Relate abstract and hypothetical ideas to concrete objects and observable events.
- When young children show signs of egocentric thinking, express confusion or explain that others think differently.
- Ask students to explain their reasoning about physical phenomena and challenge illogical explanations.
- Encourage "inner speech" for students to direct themselves verbally through tasks and activities while others can not hear or see them do it.
- Provide cognitive tools that students can use in thinking about and tackling difficult tasks.
- Present some tasks that students can perform successfully only with assistance.
- Provide support and scaffolding to enable students to perform challenging tasks successfully.
(2.2) Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), 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.
- Read age-appropriate storybooks as a way of enhancing vocabulary. (Predictable books that incorporate rhymes help beginning readers gain familiarity with reading. The shared-book experience where a teacher reads books aloud to the class allows students to get familiar with how a book is read. For example, what direction to read, how to turn a page, and what to do when you reach a word you don't know.)
- Give corrective feedback when students' use of words indicates inaccurate understanding. (Based on a miscue analysis, the teacher should know if a student struggles with visual cues, syntax cues, or meaning cues. The teacher can respond to that student based on what kind of miscue the student stated.)
- Work on listening skills. (This suggested strategy involves behaviorist views of focusing on "sitting quietly". I would try to focus on comprehension skills while my students listened to me read aloud.)
- Ask follow-up questions to make sure students accurately understand important messages. (Meaningful questions allow students to gain metacognitive skills, problem solving skills, and verbalize their thought processes.)
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