The cognitive development theory looks at development as a series of progressive changes in which a person uses their own intellect to continuously progress through stages. The nature of these stages is that each of them is more complex than the other. Piaget and Vygotsky were very influential in the psychology field in relation to the cognitive development theory. This paper describes the importance of their theories of cognitive development and outlines their influence on the current teaching methods.
Vygotsky and Piaget are regarded as constructivists. This was directed to the learners in the current schools that they need to individually research and discover complex information, in order to make it their own. Their views of cognitive development have a great teaching to all scholars and learners. They are informed that they need to take the new information from educative sources at their disposal and assimilate it into already existing knowledge that they are aware of. Their views, have therefore, had a great influence on the earlier and current education systems. Their perception of students being active learners and having a bigger role in a classroom setting has led to the current education system being a student centered affair. Teachers are able to allow students to actively participate in the classroom by asking and answering questions, challenging their classmates and teachers, and by involving in discussion sessions.
Piaget perceived cognitive development from a biological point of view. He felt that development occurs through interaction and manipulation with the existing environment. He argued that the basic structure of any mental organization is a systematic scheme (How concepts develop, 2007). A good example is the situation of a child seeing a strange structure for the first time. This structure fits into the existing scheme of the child’s memory. In the event the structure fails to fit, the child has to adjust the scheme in order for it to fit into its memory, a process he referred to as accommodation. This concept has been of great use to the modern education system to both teachers and students. It is widely used when handling new knowledge and topics in both the classroom and the field.
Piaget and Vygotsky theories of cognitive development have had a great impact on how science and math are being taught by teachers and received by students in schools today. Learning of these subjects is viewed from the perspective of how children acquire knowledge. They are seen as a group of people who obtain knowledge from their interaction with their physical environment. The theory divides these views into three different forms of knowledge which include the physical knowledge, the logical-mathematical knowledge, and the social knowledge. The concept has made a positive impact on the way in which science and math is handled in today’s teaching (Concept development in math and science, 2005). The two subjects that are viewed as the most difficult have been simplified by making them practical. Students are exposed to interact with their physical environment to make the subjects more real. A good example of the modern teaching style is that most schools have made their sciences realistic. For instance, most lessons in Biology handled that involve the body systems are made practical by involving animals. Students are made to dissect live animals to view their cells under a microscope and perform experiments out of them. This has made scientific knowledge more real and interactive.
Even thought the views of Piaget and Vygotsky did not agree at some point, they have been utilized in the current classroom effectively and have had a remarkable impact. One of the major achievements of their theories being the act of learning being student centered in class.
References
Mooney, C. G. (2000). Theories of childhood: An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erickson, Piaget & Vygotsky. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.
