Reflection Paper #01

Guiann Maris M.
Lumanas MAED-LT
EFD 504 | Advanced Educational Psychology
October 23, 2021
PIAGET AND VYGOTSKY’S THEORY

TO CHILDREN’S EDUCATION
Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have greatly influenced the methods and
approaches in teaching. Out of all the cognitive development theories, their
key concepts are the most popular in developmental psychology. Their
theories are obviously interested in the development of the individual, where
children play an active role in the discovery of new understanding or schema.
Both have contributed to the field of education by offering explanations for
children’s cognitive learning styles and abilities. While Piaget and Vygotsky
differ on how they view cognitive development in children, both offer
educators good suggestions on how to teach certain material in a
developmentally appropriate manner.
This paper aims to lay down how these two (2) theories on children
development affect me as an educator as I deal with various learners in the
day-to-day process of teaching-learning.
According to Jean Piaget, children move through four different stages
of mental development. These stages are the: sensorimotor stage (birth to 2
years); pre-operational stage (ages 2 to 7); concrete operational stage (ages 7
to 11); and formal operational stage (ages 12 and up). These stages determine
how children obtain understanding. And as educators, it is very important to
establish understanding on how our students learn, so we would know how to
assist and facilitate their learning.
Now, what is Vygotsky’s take on children education? According to
him, learning is a social process where support from his/her environment is
essential in the development of his/her higher psychological functions. He
called it “social constructivism.” Learning occurs by participating in groups,
solving problems with help from others, and by guided exploration or
Reflection Paper #01

scaffolding. He emphasized that children learn best through physical
interaction.
I believe that these two (2) triggering concepts on children education is
highly evident in our education system here in the Philippines. The concept of
teachers as facilitators of learning may have come from Piaget and Vygotsky,
since learning is acquired independently through discovery and exploration;
and scaffolding. From the abovementioned child development theories, I
realized a few things with regards to how I manage learning inside the
classroom. Sometimes, because of mismanagement of time – balancing
teaching and other works that come with our job, I fail to actually “be there”
for my students. To “be there” when ideas pop out of their minds; to “be
there” with most of their ‘aha! moments’; to “be there” when a terminology
mystifies them; to “be there” when a simple misunderstanding and confusion
arises; and to “be there” and witness their transformations. Sometimes, I
forgot to be “that kind of teacher” – that someone who will “be there” when
no one else will.
Learning about all these make us fully aware that our children inside
the classroom are so much capable of building their own understanding of the
world. That they are not merely passive recipients of knowledge who simply
absorb information from what we deposit in their minds. Instead, they are
conscious and capable, constantly exploring and discovering new knowledge
or learnings. They learn best when they are exposed to opportunities with us
and other skilled peers.
Moreover, teachers to must constantly provide assistance and feedback to our
learners to reinforce learning, allowing peer learning to establish support
among learners.
By incorporating Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories into teaching
strategies, students’ learning would likely to increase. Hence, it is an
advantage. When teachers hold solid understanding of these theories, students
are provided with more opportunities to play and learn with others.

References:
Cherry, Kendra (2020). The 4 Stages of Cognitive Development: Background

and Key Concepts of Piaget’s Theory. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from
https://www.verywellmind.com/piagets-stages-of-cognitive-development-
2795457
First Discoverers (2021). Child Development Theories: Lev Vygotsky.

Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.firstdiscoverers.co.uk/lev-
vygotsky-child-development-theories/
McLeod, Saul (2020). Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. Retrieved

October 21, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html.

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Guiann Maris M.

PIAGET AND VYGOTSKY’S THEORY