Innovative thinkers
Innovative thinkers
In this unit you will revisit two renowned theorists in the field of Psychology: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Each of these innovative thinkers has put forth ideas about how children learn language in relation to their views on learning and intelligences. Piaget is a cognitive stage theorist whose work is strongly grounded in the biological frame of reference for language development. Piaget’s work acknowledges the influence of social factors on a child’s thinking and reasoning but the emphasis is on the child as an independent operator in cognitive development. Vygotsky’s primary interest was in language development related to thought. According to Vygotsky, language and thought play a dual role; they are psychological tools that inform other mental functions and are at the same time mental functions that “undergo cultural development” (Vygotsky, 2000 p. xxx). Thus, Vygotsky promoted the notion that the child maintains a cooperative relationship with his environment and culture.
Vygotsky, L. (2000). Thought and Language (A. Kozulin, Trans. 12th ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
In a 3-4 page paper (not including the cover page or reference page) that follows APA formatting, compare and contrast Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of language development and cognition. Highlighting the similarities and differences between these theories, discuss what makes Vygotsky’s ideas the theory of choice to explain the relationship between thinking and language development.
Students, please make sure to use Chapter 2, 3, & 7 to help answer the question about the theorist. Please follow the rubric listed below to make sure you are covering all areas of the paper. You should use 2 additional academic references and the text with this paper; therefore, you should have 3 references and a title page with this 3-4 page assignment.
Unit 3 Assignment 2
Areas shaded in gray connect to a CLA/GEL.
Grading Criteria
Points
Possible
Points
Earned
Content
In comparing and contrasting Piaget’s & Vygotsky’s theories of language development and cognition, similarities are addressed.
0-25
In comparing and contrasting Piaget’s & Vygotsky’s theories of language development and cognition, differences are addressed.
0-25
