Cognitive Approaches to Learning

Paper Summary:

This straight-forward, outline-style paper compares and contrasts the theories of cognitive learning of psychologists Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. The paper details both of their theories, including a discussion of Piaget's four developmental stages and Vygotsky's assertion that the environment in which a child is raised is more determinant than age. The paper goes on to compare the psychologists' ideas as they pertain to curriculum and instruction.

From the Paper:

"Swiss biologist and psychologist Jean Piaget is renowned for constructing a highly influential model of child development and learning. His theory is based on the idea that the developing child builds cognitive structures, i.e. mental maps, schemes, or networked concepts for understanding and responding to physical experiences within his or her environment. Piaget also stated that a child's cognitive structure increases in sophistication with development, moving from a few innate reflexes such as crying and sucking to highly complex mental activities (http://www.funderstanding.com/piaget.cfm)."

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