Cognitive Development and Sociocultural Response by Angela Crist

Assimilation

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 00:17:10 UTC

Piaget's definition of assimilation is the using an existing schema to deal with a new object or situation.

Schema

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 01:37:38 UTC

Piaget's definition of schema is the building blocks of knowledge.

Accomodation

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 01:42:04 UTC

Piaget's definition of accomodation is that it happens when the existing schema (knowledge) does not work, and needs to be changed to deal with a new object or situation.

Equilabration

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 01:44:32 UTC

Piaget's definition of equilabration is that it is the force which moves development along. Piaget believed that cognitive development did not progress at a steady rate, but rather in leaps and bounds.

Stages of Development

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 01:47:19 UTC

1. Sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2). Through senses and motor abilities, infants gain a basic understanding of the world around them.
2. Pre-operational stage (from age 2 to age 7). Children's thinking is self-centered and they cannot take on another's perception.
3. Concrete operational stage (from age 7 to age 11). Children are less egocentric and have an understanding of logic and conservation.
4. Formal operational stage (age 11+ - adolescence and adulthood). Children's thinking becomes much more sophisticated and advanced. They are able to think about abstract concepts and use logical thought.

Zone of Proximal Development

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 02:21:38 UTC

The zone of proximal development (ZPD) was developed by Vygotsky. It is the range of abilities an individual can perform with the guidance of another but they are not capable of doing it on their own yet. Vygotsky thought that interacting with peers was an effective way to develop skills. He also thought that teachers should use cooperative learning with children and that the interaction with the other skillful peers would help the children master the skill.

Piaget's Cognitive Development

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 02:32:26 UTC

Piaget's (1936) theory of cognitive development explains how a child constructs a mental model of the world. Piaget's theory of cognitive development describes how children grow through four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Each stage marks a change in how they think and understand things. He believed that children learn by both growing and from their experiences. From the building blocks of knowledge (schema), the adaptation processes that enable the transition from one stage to another (assimilation, accomodation, equilabration) and the stages of cognitive development; these were all the things that made up Cognitive Development Theory.

Sociocultural theory

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 03:15:49 UTC

Sociocultural theory was developed by Lev Vygotsky. Sociocultural theory focuses on how the individual mental functioning relates to cultural, institutional, and historical contexts. It also focuses on the role of social interactions and culturally organized activities in influencing psychological development.

Guided Participation

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 03:21:25 UTC

Guided participation involves a learner who develops new skills and capabilities while collaborating with a more experienced guide. The emphasis is on non-verbal forms of communication.

How Sociocultural Theory Differs from Constructivist Theory

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 03:41:44 UTC

Both constructivism and sociocultural theory focus on how children learn while doing activites. Constructivist theory learning is self-directed and knowledge is gained through experiences while sociocultural theory is focused on learning through social interactions and cultural experiences.

The Educational Implications of Sociocultural Theory

acrist0024_1_1 — 2024-09-20 03:42:41 UTC

Sociocultural theory has wide-ranging connections in education, especially in assessment, curriculum, and instruction. Learning happens through interaction, negotiation, and collaboration. The goal of instruction is to help students participate in activities, discussions, and use tools that match the practices of the group that they are being introduced to. With the rise of communication technologies, researchers are expanding ideas to include not just people and physical tools, but also digital technologies.