Jean Piaget's Four Developmental Theories Paper
Comparing Theorists
Jean Piaget was the first psychologist to suggest a theory of moral development. According to Piaget, development emerges from action, and people construct and reconstruct their knowledge of the world as a result of interactions with the environment. He wanted to find the “biological explanation of knowledge”. Piaget's theory identifies four developmental stages, which are: 1. Sensorimotor stage (birth - 2), 2. Pre-operational stage (2-7 years old), 3. Concrete operational (7-11 years old), and 4. Formal operational (11 years and up). Based on these stages, a child cannot undertake certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough to do so (Atherton, J S, 2013). Referring to elementary schooling, many times …show more content…
Vygotsky’s main framework is that "social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition" (Culatta, 2013). Culatta (2013) also states that cognitive development depends on ZPD (zone of proximal development). In other words, based on the social experience acquired and encountered, those interactions will change our brains. Mainly thinking about my students from the previous class (kindergarten), I had two young boys, Matthew and Nicolas. Now, Matthew is preforming below grade level leaving him academically deficient based on Kindergarten Standards. Similar to his academics, he lacks social skills and at times can be socially “awkward”. During recess, I usually saw him playing alone and this was very concerning to me since day one. Piaget (1962) makes a valid point on how actions, whether it is individual or interpersonal, are in essence coordinated and organized by the operational structure, which construct the course of mental development. This validates what I was thinking! When you lack social skills, it will hinder your mental development and academics. Everything plays a role, and when one is lacking or not prevalent the rest will fall like a domino effect. Matthew’s preference was to interact with the adults. During recess, it is more noticeable his lack of social skills. I also observed how difficult it is for Matthew to find someone to play with and when he is playing he is not aware of the norms for the game or
Jean Piaget was the first psychologist to suggest a theory of moral development. According to Piaget, development emerges from action, and people construct and reconstruct their knowledge of the world as a result of interactions with the environment. He wanted to find the “biological explanation of knowledge”. Piaget's theory identifies four developmental stages, which are: 1. Sensorimotor stage (birth - 2), 2. Pre-operational stage (2-7 years old), 3. Concrete operational (7-11 years old), and 4. Formal operational (11 years and up). Based on these stages, a child cannot undertake certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough to do so (Atherton, J S, 2013). Referring to elementary schooling, many times …show more content…
Vygotsky’s main framework is that "social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition" (Culatta, 2013). Culatta (2013) also states that cognitive development depends on ZPD (zone of proximal development). In other words, based on the social experience acquired and encountered, those interactions will change our brains. Mainly thinking about my students from the previous class (kindergarten), I had two young boys, Matthew and Nicolas. Now, Matthew is preforming below grade level leaving him academically deficient based on Kindergarten Standards. Similar to his academics, he lacks social skills and at times can be socially “awkward”. During recess, I usually saw him playing alone and this was very concerning to me since day one. Piaget (1962) makes a valid point on how actions, whether it is individual or interpersonal, are in essence coordinated and organized by the operational structure, which construct the course of mental development. This validates what I was thinking! When you lack social skills, it will hinder your mental development and academics. Everything plays a role, and when one is lacking or not prevalent the rest will fall like a domino effect. Matthew’s preference was to interact with the adults. During recess, it is more noticeable his lack of social skills. I also observed how difficult it is for Matthew to find someone to play with and when he is playing he is not aware of the norms for the game or