The document discusses the cognitive development theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, highlighting the differences in how they conceptualize learning and knowledge acquisition in children. Piaget's theory emphasizes genetic epistemology, developmental stages, and the roles of assimilation and accommodation in cognitive growth, while Vygotsky's theory stresses the importance of social interactions and cultural tools in development. Key concepts include Piaget’s stages of development and Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, both underscoring the complexities of learning processes.

1. ED 6400 - BrownleeCognitive and Knowledge DevelopmentChapter - PiagetAdapted from California State University, Los Angeles, School of Education (www.calstatela.edu/faculty/fhernan/510.htm) &Driscoll, M.P., (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 3rd ed., Pearson Education: New York.

2. ED 6400 - BrownleeTheoretical FrameworkThere was a need for a learning theory that could explain the differences between the ways children think and develop and the ways adults learn.

3. ED 6400 - BrownleeWhat is genetic epistemology and how is the term used by Piaget?Origins of knowledge - sometimes labeled constructivism, since cognition was assumed to be an interaction between heredity and the environment.Discuss and differentiate between the various types of knowledge as defined by PiagetPhysical knowledge - knowledge about objects in the world which can be gained through their attributes or perceptual propertiesLogical-mathematical knowledge is abstract and must be created or invented through actions on objects that are fundamentally different from actions that enable physical knowledge. There must be some type of schema or framework created. The advantage with this type of knowledge is that it has a greater range of applicationsSocial knowledge - cultural specific and can only be gained through experience and interaction with others with the cultural group

4. ED 6400 - BrownleeWhat criteria were used by Piaget to define his developmental stages?Each stage represents a qualitative change Children progress through each stage regardless of their cultural orientationEach stage includes the cognitive structures and abilities of the preceding stageAt each stage the child's schemes and operations form an integrated whole

5. ED 6400 - BrownleeDiscuss and state characteristics of each of Piaget's stages of developmentSensorimotor - birth - age 2Modifies reflexes to make them more adaptiveBecomes goal -directed in behavior with goals moving from concrete to abstractPreoperational - ages 2 - 7Acquires the semiotic function; engages in symbolic play and language gamesHas difficulty seeing another person’s point of view; thought and communication are egocentricReasons from a focus on one perceptual dimension of problemsConcrete operational - ages 7-11Performs true mental operations (conservation, reversibility) and solves concrete problems on a logical fashionHas difficulty thinking hypothetically and systematically considering all aspects of a problemFormal operational age 11 - on to adultSolves abstract problems in systematic and logical fashionReasons hypothetically and often develops concerns over social issues

6. ED 6400 - BrownleeDefine and discuss:Assimilation occurs when a child perceives new objects or events in terms of existing schemes or operationsAccommodation When existing schemes or operations must be modified to account for new experiences, accommodation has occurred.Equilibration the master developmental process including both assimilation and accommodation - characterizes the transition from one stage to the next

7. ED 6400 - BrownleeWhat are the specific criticisms of Piaget's stage theoryThe sequence of stages is invariant There is a qualitative change in cognition from stage to stage with consistency of reasoning within a stage Children exhibit the characteristics of each stage and each stage includes all the competence of the previous stageGlobal restructuring characterizes stage shifting

8. ED 6400 - BrownleeDiscuss the main principles of instruction agreed to by both Piaget and his criticsThe learning environment should support the activity of the childChildren's interactions with their peers are an important source of cognitive developmentAdopt instructional strategies that make children aware of the conflicts and inconsistencies in their thinking

9. ED 6400 - BrownleeDiscuss the role of rule in children's thinkingIt is useful to think of children's thinking in terms of rules, yielding specific recommendations for instructionEducators should understand the rules that children use in order to understand how they learn. If a child's rule is faulty, it can be corrected. Rules and sequence of rules for each child is important to know in order to be able to teach well

10. ED 6400 - BrownleeChapter Vygotsky - Interactive Theory of Cognitive DevelopmentAdapted from California State University, Los Angeles, School of Education (www.calstatela.edu/faculty/fhernan/510.htm) &Driscoll, M.P., (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 3rd ed., Pearson Education: New York.

11. ED 6400 - BrownleeDiscuss the concept of discovery learningAll forms of obtaining knowledge are available for oneself by the use one's own mind rearranging or transforming evidence in such a way that one is enabled to go beyond the evidence assembled to additional new insights The act of discovery became the basis of school wide pedagogy by some educators discovery is not haphazard it proceeds systematically toward a model which is there all the timethe process involves not so much the idea of discovering what’s out there, rather what's in the student's own head.

12. ED 6400 - BrownleeWho is Lev Vygotsky and what are the major themes that make up the core of his theory?Born in 1896 in RussiaGraduated with degree in law and liberal arts backgroundActive participant in the post-revolutionary era in Soviet UnionThemes of his learning theoryReliance on genetic or developmental methodHigher mental process of the individual have their origin in social processesMental processes can be understood only if we understand the tools and signs that mediate them

13. ED 6400 - BrownleeDiscuss the nature of Vygotsky's developmental method, including:The process of developmentChildren must be studied being children. Not in artificial scenarios or tightly controlled environmentsWhat's important is not how well did the students perform, but what did they do while they were learning or trying to solve a problemMediationThe individual actively modifies the stimulus situation as a part of the process of responding to it. phylogenetic comparisonsCognitive development is based on both biology and culture (nature and nurture)

14. ED 6400 - BrownleeDiscuss the nature of Vygotsky's developmental method, including:Socio-cultural historyDevelopment of intelligence to be the internalization of the tools of one's culture.These tools are constantly in flux and evolving as the culture evolves. A historical perspective is important to consider when discussing developmentToolsThe tools a culture uses are in a sense a reflection of the kind of thinking that is occurringSigns (include various types)Vygotsky believed literate cultures represented a later stage of social evolution and should have evolved higher psychological functions. Literate individuals tended to group by relationship irrespective of context. Non-literate individuals tended to group by context in which items were used.

15. ED 6400 - BrownleeDiscuss Vygotsky's concepts ofInternalizationAny higher mental function necessarily goes through an external stage in its development because it is initially a social function. Learning is dependent upon interactions between individualszone of proximal developmentThe gap between the child's actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peersWith the "Zone of Proximal Development" as a framework what constitutes good instruction?Teaching thinking skills versus Content-specific skillsAttention to and monitoring of the type and level of interaction accruing between the student who is less advanced and the student is more advanced

16. ED 6400 - BrownleeDescribe the important role Vygotsky placed on language in cognitive developmentA consequence of internalization is the ability to use signs in increasingly elaborate ways that that extend the boundaries of children's understandingThe development of language was thought of by Vygotsky to have the greatest impact on children's acquisition of higher psychological processesLanguage constitutes the most important sign-using behavior to occur during cognitive development because it frees children from the constraints of their immediate environmentIt allows children to become more and more removed form a concrete context.