Jean Piaget (August 9, 1896 – 16 September 1980) was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. He was the eldest son of Arthur Piaget (Swiss) and Rebecca Jackson (French). His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology". Piaget placed great importance on the education of children. As the Director of the International Bureau of Education, he declared in 1934 that "only education is capable of saving our societies from possible collapse, whether violent, or gradual." Jean Piaget is "the great pioneer of the constructivist theory of knowing."
Constructivism is basically a theory -- based on observation and scientific study -- about how people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant. In any case, we are active creators of our own knowledge.
Behaviourism is an approach to knowledge discovered by John Watson in the early 20th century. This theory states that our behaviour is separate from the way our mind operates, therefore, learning is acquired through observation and reinforcement. Behaviourist learning theory is also referred to as direct instruction. Burrus Frederic "B. F." Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) was an American psychologist, behaviourist, author, inventor, and social philosopher. B. F. Skinner’s entire system is based on operant conditioning. Lev Vygotsky is a psychologist and constructivist who proposed that children learn through interactions with their surrounding culture. This theory is known as the socio-cultural perspective, it states that the cognitive development of children and adolescents is
References: Anderson, J. R. (1990). Cognitive psychology and its implications (3rd ed.). New York: Freeman. Burns, M., & Silbey, R. (2000). So you have to teach? Sound advice for K-6 teachers. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications. Daniels, H. (2001). Vygotsky and Pedagogy. Routledge. Donaldson, M (1984) Children’s Minds. London. Fantana. Fuson, K Piaget, J. (1977). Epistemology and psychology of functions. Dordrecht, Netherlands: D. Reidel Publishing Company. Satterly, D (1987) "Piaget and Education" in R L Gregory (ed.) The Oxford Companion to the Mind Oxford, Oxford University Press. Skinner, B. F. (1948). Walden Two. New York: Macmillan. Wood, D (1998) How Children Think and Learn (2nd edition) Oxford; Blackwell Publishing. Due: February 6, 2013