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Developmental theories of learning

The developmental theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, also known as cognitive-developmental theories emphasise thought processes such as thinking, understanding, and perceiving.

Piaget

Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory explores changes that take place in thinking abilities over time. Piaget was interested in how individuals develop knowledge from birth. He considered cognition as a biological process whereby intelligence develops in specific growth stages. He believed that conceptual development may be likened to a building process i.e. a series of qualitative intellectual advancements. It is this aspect of the theory that has proved most popular with educators.

Piaget argued that cognitive growth occurs through a series of stages, known as 'stages in development'. These are:

sensorimotor (0 to 2 years),
pre-operational (2-7 years),
concrete-operational (7-12 years), and
formal-operational (12 years –adult).

The stages are discrete and in a strictly linear path. These 'stages in development' have been adopted by many teachers and it could be argued that they are the reason for the separation of schools into levels such as pre-school, primary and secondary. Piaget was a biologist and drew his theory from his studies of living organisms and their adaptation to changes. His research sample was rather small since his primary observations were drawn from close study of his own three children.

However, the existence of separate stages, each with its own characteristic mode of thinking, and the limitations involved, has been refuted by a large body of research. The most permanent remainder from Piaget’s lifetime of studying cognitive development is the constructivist view of development. This theoretical position argues that each individual constructs their own understanding of the world and is primarily responsible for the development of their own intelligence as a result of experience. It is from this aspect that further ideas on learning have developed.

Important concepts of Piaget include schemes, assimilation, accommodation and equilibration.

schemes describe the patterns of behaviour or thinking that people use in dealing with objects in the world,
assimilation is where an object is incorporated into a new scheme,
accommodation describes the situation when a scheme is changed to fit new circumstances, and
equilibration occurs when a person focuses on an object causing disequilibrium in his or her world and either adapts new schemes or changes old ones in order to restore equilibrium.

Vygotsky

Vygotsky began his academic journey with a law degree from Moscow University in 1917. His studies included philosophy, psychology and literature. His life took a new direction when he was invited to join the Psychological Institute of Moscow University after delivering a brilliant paper at the Russian Psycho–neurological Congress in 1924. His work was banned for political reasons and was not to emerge until the 1950’s.

Vygotsky tried to understand cognitive processes. He attempted to understand the formation of intellect by focusing on its process of development. He believed that individual development could not be understood without reference to the social and cultural context within which development occurs.

Vygotsky is best known for his:

stress on the importance of language in learning development
focus on development across the whole lifespan rather than stages
zone of proximal development i.e. the gap between what you’re trying to teach and the current state of development in that area. If the gap is too large, instruction won’t be effective; too small and the learner won’t be extended, therefore teachers must have background knowledge of those they teach.
scaffolded instruction involves an instructor or advanced peer working to support the development of the learner. The instructor should guide the learner in such a way that the gap is bridged between the learner’s current skill levels and the desired skill level. As learners become more proficient, able to complete tasks on their own that they could not initially do without assistance, the guidance can be withdrawn. Such instruction needs to take place in a social environment where the interactions reflect mutual respect.(The first reading "Towards maximising learning through online environments can be considered scaffolding).

Vygotsky, who was a contemporary of Piaget's, has had a major influence on developmental psychology. Of importance is his emphasis on the sociocultural nature of learning with a key element being Vygotsky's notion of a zone of proximal development.

The term zone of proximal development may be seen as a visual image of concentric circles, which in another context have been labelled comfort zones. The mental image for the term scaffolding is of an athletic activity such as high jumping where the bar is raised in small increments. This is one factor of scaffolding, however the term also includes elements of guided instruction.

Piaget and Vygotsky hold contrasting views on teacher involvement. On one hand a Piagetian view suggests that direct teacher involvement may inhibit learning while on the other hand, Vygotsky's approach of scaffolding and guided discovery suggests that a guiding hand by the teacher is critical for effective learning.

NSW HSC Online Professional Development Node

Developmental theories of learning

Piaget

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Vygotsky

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