Chapter 2
(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?
I
would take a combination of Piaget and Vgotsky’s theories to accommodate a
student who is not yet working at the level of his or her peers. Piaget
believes that children are naturally motivated to learn. They learn actively.
According to Piaget, children construct their own knowledge rather than absorb
it. Piaget also believes that
students move through a set of cognitive development stages. Vgoytsky’s, on the
other hand, believes that adults systematically impart knowledge, culture, and
cognitive tools to children. Also, cognitive activities begin socially and
eventually move towards the internal.
I
think that is important to consider both perspectives in the classroom. It is
difficult for me to say how I would accommodate students who are not yet
working at the level of their peers without knowing my students personally.
However, I would try to harness a student’s already existing interest in a
subject matter and incorporate that interest into an area where they struggle.
Additionally, I think that social interaction is key in learning. So, I would
pair struggling students with students who are working at one level higher than
they are.
(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.
I would love to follow the first
suggestion for my age range that I am interested in which is to read
age-appropriate storybooks as a way of enhancing vocabulary. This is the age
where they are most engaged in being read aloud to. The next suggestion is to
give corrective feedback when students’ use of words indicates inaccurate
understanding. I feel that this suggestion should be used with caution. It is
important to make sure that the student receives a healthy balance of praise
and corrections. The next suggestion is to promote listening skills. This is a
challenging task for kindergarten to second graders. I will incorporate this
suggestion through teaching listening skills during reading, centers, and other
activities. I will ask follow-up questions to make sure students understand
important content. I will be careful when choosing my questions so as to not
feed the answer to my students. The last suggestion is to ask students to
construct narratives about recent events. I plan on asking students to write in
their class journals on Mondays about their weekend and Fridays about their
week.
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