Faculty of Education, University Of Sindh, Hyderabad

Assigned By: Prof: Dr Iftikhar Jafri

Submitted By: Rabia Kazi

Roll No: 32/M.Phil/2016

Subject: Psychological Perspective & Issues In Education

Submission Date: 10 th November 2016

Content

Definition

Comparison

Examples

Criticisms

Scaffolding with examples

Situated Cognition with Examples

SOCIALCONSTRUCTIVIST

APPROACHES

Definition:

Constructivism emphasizes how individuals actively construct knowledge and understanding. a social constructivist approach emphasizes the social contexts of learning and the idea that knowledge is mutually built and constructed. Involvement with others creates opportunities for students to evaluate and refine their understanding as they are exposed to the thinking of others and as they participate in creating shared understanding (Gauvain & Parke, 2010).

COMPARISON / DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JEAN PIAGET’S COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY &LEV VYGOTSKY’S SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACHES:

Comparison chart

Piaget theory Vygotsky theory

Cognitive development is a product of social transmission

Cognitive development is a product of social interaction

Claims that the development of thinking and language can be traced back to actions, perceptions and imitations by little children

Claims that there is a strong connection between learning language and the development of thinking

Piaget believed that development had to come before learning.

Vygotsky believed that development and learning worked together through socialization and language.

Does not include mentor in observations on cognitive development

Highlights the role of a mentor in cognitive development

Shows  preference for learning potential of an individual

Is well-applied to teaching strategies

Piaget thought that there was a connection between biological and cognitive development.

Vygotsky claimed that knowledge from social interactions boost cognitive growth

and development.  

There is an end point to cognitive development-

Birth to adolescence

Coginitive development;

Learning begins at birth and end at death

A child acts on his own environment for learning Social development influences cognitive development

Child’s solo mind. Hands on activities also aid learning and a child construct his/her own knowledge

A child is scaffold by an adult or peer who is more capable than the child

Zone of Proximal Development

The zone of proximal development (sometimes abbreviated ZPD), is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help. It is a concept developed by Soviet psychologist and social constructivist Lev Vygotsky (1896 - 1934).

Vygotsky's often-quoted definition of zone of proximal development presents it as "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."Vygotsky among other educational professionals believes the role of education to be to provide children with experiences which are in their ZPD, thereby encouraging and advancing their individual learning.

Example

SCAFFOLDING

The concept of scaffolding is closely related to the ZPD, although Vygotsky himself never mentioned the term; instead, scaffolding was developed by other sociocultural theorists applying Vygotsky's ZPD to educational contexts. According to education expert Nancy Balaban, "Scaffolding refers to the way the adult guides the child's learning via focused questions and positive interactions

Examples

Criticisms & Limitations

Piaget Vygotsky Under‐estimated the abilities of

children The existence of four separate stages of

development have been questioned. Many scientists believe that the cognitive development process is more continuous.

While he believed in the importance of social interaction, Piaget is criticized for for overlooking the important effects of the social group or culture on the child.

Vygotsky's theories were too generalized. He died before he had a chance to elaborate or describe his theories in detail.

He did not address the cognitive processes that play a part in child development.

He put too much emphasis on culture and social processes and did not consider other methods or possibilities concerning cognitive development.

SITUATED COGNITIONSituated cognition is an important assumption in the social constructivist approaches. It refers to the idea that thinking occurs (is situated) in social and physical contexts. In other words, knowledge is embedded in, and connected to, the context in which the knowledge developed (Langer, 2009). If this is so, it makes sense to create learning situations that are as close to real-world circumstances as possible.

Example:To expand students’ knowledge and understanding of volcanoes, some students are placed in the role of scientists studying an active volcano, while other students are given the task of reporting what to expect to an emergency evacuation team (PSU, 2006). Using Internet resources, the “scientist” students examine news stories about active volcanoes; the “evacuation team” students search for information about the impact that volcanoes have on inhabitants and how they can be removed from the danger of an erupting volcano.

Questions Compare the social constructivist approach with other constructivist approaches. Although they overlap, what is the basic difference between Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s

approach? What is situated cognition? What is scaffolding?

References:

Santrock, J. W. (2001). Educational Psychology. McGraw Hill International Publishers.

http://www.innovativelearning.com/educational_psychology/development/zone-of-proximal-development.html

http://theydiffer.com/difference-between-piaget-and-vygotsky-theories/