Developmental Theories
“All developmental theories can be distilled into one powerful statement – if there is no development, there is no learning.”
Do you agree? Use examples from some of the theories that you have encountered to justify your response.
Over the years, many psychologists, scholars, mathematicians, teachers and counsellors have pondered this exact statement. I, at the risk of being predictable, agree with this statement but then also think that the idea can be reversed – saying that without learning, there will be limited development. This is not a hasty decision, the studies of Piaget and Vygotsky, along with numerous others cited in Educational Psychology (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and academic journals all point to the conclusive outcome …show more content…
Vygotsky said that “interaction encourages development by creating cognitive conflict that motivated change” (Vygotsky in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). This shows that through social interactions between peers (learning), it fosters development to a higher learning level – hence moving into the territory of Piaget’s work. Vygotsky had the theory of “the zone of proximal development” which is “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers”. He shows that “the key to hearty intellectual growth was for children to be supported in this zone. That way, learning could actually shape development” (Thurber, 2003). For the child to be assisted by a supportive and non-judgemental elder, the potential development is far greater then if the child was left to perform in his or her own capacity. For a child trying to learn un-assisted, cognitive development that is “more adaptive, more organised, more effective and more complex” (Mussen, Conger and Kagan, 1984) would be lesser than learning with an experienced other because, according to Thurber, “physical and sensory exploration boost cognitive development” (Thurber,
Do you agree? Use examples from some of the theories that you have encountered to justify your response.
Over the years, many psychologists, scholars, mathematicians, teachers and counsellors have pondered this exact statement. I, at the risk of being predictable, agree with this statement but then also think that the idea can be reversed – saying that without learning, there will be limited development. This is not a hasty decision, the studies of Piaget and Vygotsky, along with numerous others cited in Educational Psychology (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and academic journals all point to the conclusive outcome …show more content…
Vygotsky said that “interaction encourages development by creating cognitive conflict that motivated change” (Vygotsky in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). This shows that through social interactions between peers (learning), it fosters development to a higher learning level – hence moving into the territory of Piaget’s work. Vygotsky had the theory of “the zone of proximal development” which is “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers”. He shows that “the key to hearty intellectual growth was for children to be supported in this zone. That way, learning could actually shape development” (Thurber, 2003). For the child to be assisted by a supportive and non-judgemental elder, the potential development is far greater then if the child was left to perform in his or her own capacity. For a child trying to learn un-assisted, cognitive development that is “more adaptive, more organised, more effective and more complex” (Mussen, Conger and Kagan, 1984) would be lesser than learning with an experienced other because, according to Thurber, “physical and sensory exploration boost cognitive development” (Thurber,