Compare And Contrast Piaget Vs Vygotsky

Ideally, an educator seeks the best teaching method for his or her students; however, the debate remains, what theory is universal for teachers to use? The solution is not singular, for several theories offer exceptional suggestions on how to apply certain material that best suits the development of students. Such suggestions may come from the theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Despite their differing views in cognitive development, both have contributed to the improvement of teaching methods and as a future educator, I plan to use both elements as resources to my teaching methods.
Lev Vygotsky introduced what is known as Social Development Theory. Vygotsky differs from theorists such as Jean Piaget, in that his theories stress the role of social interaction and cultural background in development rather than, although just as important, basing intelligence upon mental structure. According to Vygotsky, children interact socially with others in the same culture in order to learn how to effectively communicate. Through this, children develop more of an individualized thinking process.
An important principle in Vygotsky’s theory is the Zone of Proximal Development, which is defined as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined …show more content…
To Piaget, children construct an understanding of the world, experience inconsistencies with what they know and learn, and then accommodate or assimilate. Associated with Piaget’s theory is the concept of schemes, which allows children to organize experiences through first motor patterns and later on in life, by thinking. Piaget believed that an intelligence acquired from infant to adulthood occurs in four universal and consecutive stages, which are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal