Learning+Theorists

Learning Theorists:

The way children learn and behave has always boggled the minds of many. The interaction children have with things and people in their environment is a very important aspect of their development starting at birth. Understanding how a child develops and how a child learns behaviors is a fascinating field. Many adults, such as parents and teachers, wonder how to reach their children or wonder if the child is developing properly and in a timely manner. Parents and teachers have always learning on behavior and learning theorists for these answers. There have been many learning theorists throughout history. I have chosen to compare and contrast three of them: Piaget, Vygotsky, and Gardner. Piaget started as a biologist but after observing his surroundings, became interested in how thinking develops. Piaget started watching babies and infants interact with their environment. From this, he developed genetic epistemology, or the stages of cognitive development. These stages help explain how people develop their cognitive thinking skills from birth throughout adulthood. These stages are sensory motor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Piaget’s thoughts on development are focused on association and assimilation. The site I came across really provides a wonderful example of this. Babies know hot to grab a rattle and put it in their mouth. In order to assimilate, they will try the same action with Mommy’s purse strap, grandma’s watch, daddy’s important papers, etc. They will always try to use the already learned “schema,” as Piaget puts it, onto new objects. Accommodation occurs when a baby tries to use the same schema but it does not work as well, they may need to adapt. A great example, again from the website, is if an infant try the same schema of grabbing the object and putting in his mouth with a beach all. When he realizes that it does not work so well, he needs to adapt his methods to the squeeze and drool method instead. This idea of adapting schema to different objects is a very important basis for Piaget’s learning theory. So, in summation, the focus of adaptation is key to the Piaget’s ideas and learning theory. Vygotsky was similar to Piaget, but only to a point. These two theorists both focus on adaptation as the central idea behind their learning theories. However, where Piaget focuses on changes in schema, Vygotsky takes a different approach. He looks at how the child develops on his own versus how he develops and problem solves with assistance. Vygotsky notices how children talk through problem solving when they are young but as they age and the tasks become more complicated, people tend to talk through things out loud; more of a whisper as the child grows. He also has the idea of the zone of proximal development. This zone is the difference between the actual level of development and the development/problem solving capability with adult assistance. Vygotsky claims that aptitude tests are not necessarily helpful in determination of intelligence or behavioral issues. All children have different ZPDs and if they are not accessed correctly, then the results are not accurate as to the child’s issues or capabilities. Gardner is known for his theory on multiple intelligences. Children all learn in different ways. One can pair this idea with Vygotsky on many levels. If the ZPD of each child is not reached, it is often difficult to assess or reach each child for optimal learning and assessment. If you do not teach to the “whole child” and instead only focus on one or two intelligences, you will not reach all of the children in your class and they will not only not enjoy your class but they may struggle more with the material as well. Assessment is thought of in the same way. As a teacher, one needs to ask questions and assign tasks that cater to every intelligence and learning style. If not, it is not a fair assessment for learning. It is always better to assess for learning than to have an assessment of learning. Piaget and Gardner are similar in that they both focus on learned behaviors. Learning a specific way can be learned and fostered if cone properly. What is interesting is that any individual can possess many of these intelligences in varying amounts. Some are stronger at learning kinesthetically rather than linguistically. In conclusion, these theorists have many similarities to each other. Of course, they are all focused on development, but at different ages of person. Piaget is knows for his work with young children while Gardner and Vygotsky are known for working with older children. Gardner is referenced consistently in the school system for professional development of best practices in the classroom. While they are similar, each theorist has a different method for explaining cognition at every age. I would like to see what they think about metacognition, thinking about one’s thinking. It has always interested me why I know what I know and why I know what I do not know. I think that would be an interesting direction to take things.

Works Cited (from EasyBib) Beoree, C. G. "Piaget." //My Webspace Files//. 2006. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. . "Learning Theories." //Instructional Design//. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. . "Learning_Theories." //EmTech Consulting//. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. . "Psychology History." //Welcome to Muskingum University//. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. . "Teaching Theories." //Innovative Learning//. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. .