Piaget Vs Vygotsky Essay

When comparing Piaget and Vygotsky, many critics argue that both have many similarities as well as many differences. Meece and Daniels talk about how both Vygotsky and Piaget agreed that knowledge must be learned mentally by the child, yet Vygotsky was the one who emphasized that social interactions were a key role in helping the child achieve this knowledge. Another idea that Vygotsky emphasized more than Piaget was the idea that culture was detrimental in molding a child’s cognitive development. Another difference between Vygotsky and Piaget is on the topic of the importance of learning. Vygotsky agreed with Piaget in that learning and development are not the same. Vygotsky firmly stated that development comes before learning for a child. Vygotsky argued that instruction constructed by knowledgeable adults or peers is what lies at the center of cognitive development. Another difference in opinion that Piaget and Vygotsky had was on the subject of development for a child and what type of role language played. Piaget argued that language has no crucial role in a child’s development. Piaget stated that the thinking process for children develops from how a child interacts with objects around them and not from speech. Yet Vygotsky believed that speech
Both theorists believed that cognitive development sparked changes in a child’s ability to show awareness such as symbols, logical rules, concepts, and principles. Both Vygotsky and Piaget also stressed that children are not static beneficiaries of knowledge and were able to understand that there was value in children’s activities and the time children are able to play to help with cognitive development. Finally both Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories describe that teachers play a crucial role as organizers, stimulators, supporters of learning, and guides to help children stay on the right