Piaget vs. Vygotsky: similarities and differences between their theories.

A comprehensive comparison between the theories of both authors.

The methods and orientations of teaching have been strongly influenced by the theories of Jean Piaget y Lev Vygotsky. Both authors have contributed to the field of education and psychology, offering explanations of how learning and cognitive development occur at early ages.

Piaget and Vygotsky may differ in some aspects of their theoretical proposals, but both offer teachers and educators good recommendations on how to maximize the learning process in childhood and adolescence. Although Piaget and Vygotsky are often portrayed as rivals, both theories have been of great use to the fields of psychology and education. This demonstrates the complexity of the cognitive development of human beings..

Jean Piaget's Theory of Learning

The Theory of Learning by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, considered the father of constructivism, focuses on the cognitive development of children and adolescents. His theory describes and explains the changes that occur in logical thinking at these ages. Piaget suggested that cognitive development occurs following a series of stages of maturation and experience: sensory-motor, pre-operational, concrete operations and formal operations.

If you want to know more about Piaget's stages of cognitive development, you will find all the necessary information in this article by psychologist Adrian Triglia: "Jean Piaget's 4 stages of cognitive development".

Piaget discovers in his theory that thanks to the interaction with the environment we acquire new information. But as a psychologist and constructivist pedagogue, he realized in his research that children have an active role in the acquisition of knowledge.that is, he considered them "little scientists" who actively construct their knowledge and understanding of the world.

A schematic summary of his theory

In summary, The following are the key points of his theory:

• Cognitive development occurs according to a series of universal stages.

• Children are active learners who construct knowledge through interaction with their environment.

• They learn through assimilation and accommodationand complex cognitive development occurs through balance.

• Interaction with the physical world is key to cognitive development.

If you want to go deeper into Jean Piaget's theory, this other article by Bertrand Regader will be of great help: "Jean Piaget's Theory of Learning".

Sociocultural Theory of Lev Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky is also one of the most influential and important authors in the field of education and psychology. The Theory of Sociocultural Development Vygotsky's Theory of Sociocultural Development states that individuals learn through social interactions and their culture. Vygotsky explains that the dialogue is an important psychological tool in the development of a child's thinking, and as children grow and develop, their basic language becomes more complex.

Language is key in human development, because it is produced through processes of exchange and it is produced through processes of exchange and transmission of knowledge in a communicative and social environment.. In other words, the transmission of cultural knowledge takes place through language, which is the main vehicle of the development process and is what decisively influences cognitive development.

Moreover, as a constructivist psychologist like Piaget, he thinks that children learn actively and through practical experiences. Now, Vygotsky thinks that learning is constructed through social interactions, with the support of someone more expert. Not like the Swiss psychologist, who claims that knowledge is constructed individually. Vygotsky was important in order to understand collaborative learning. collaborative learning and to learn more about the influence of the sociocultural environment on children's cognitive development.

His theory in a few strokes

Some of the basic basic principles of Vygotksy's theory are the following are the following:

• Children develop through informal and formal conversations with adults.

• The first years of life are critical for development, as this is where thinking and language become increasingly independent.

• Complex mental activities begin with basic social activities.

• Children can perform more difficult tasks with the help of a more skilled individual.

• Challenging tasks promote the growth of cognitive development.

If you wish to delve deeper into this important theory, just click here: "Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory".

Similarities between both theories

Vygotsky's and Piaget's theories have similarities, but there are also some differences. there are also some differences. First of all, let us start with the similarities.

Both Piaget and Vygotsky are constructivist theorists, although the latter is considered the main precursor of social constructivism. social constructivism. Both think that children are active learners who actively organize new information with existing information. Therefore, Piaget and Vigotsky They postulated that knowledge is constructed by each subject and is not the result of an acquisition of answers..

Both authors think that, over time, cognitive development decreases. They also believe that cognitive development is initiated by conflict. For example, in Piaget's case, when the child realizes that a new idea does not fit with previous knowledge, and it is then necessary for the child to seek a new response to allow for equilibrium.

In addition, both Piaget and Vygotsky share the idea of the importance of play. share the idea of the importance of play in the psychological, pedagogical and social aspects of thepedagogical and social aspects of the human being. Finally, both think that language is important for cognitive development, but from different perspectives.

Differences between the two theories

After seeing the similarities between the theories of these two authors, let us move on to the differences:

Construction of knowledge

As we can see, both authors are constructivists, but Vigotsky differs from Piaget in the role played by the environment and culture. For Vigotsky, in addition to seeing the child as an active subject who constructs his knowledge, emphasizes the consideration of the social, which contributes with mediators to transform reality and education.. These mediators have a guiding function to help them in the process of learning and development.

In Piaget's case, learning occurs individually. It is the conflict between what is new and what is known that leads the individual to seek balance.

2. The stages of development

Piaget's theory treats cognitive development in terms of universal stages. On the other hand, for Vigotsky there are no such stages, since, as knowledge is constructed through social interaction, each culture is different and therefore cannot be generalized.

This means that, for Piaget, the potentiality of cognitive development depends on the stage at which the subject finds himself.. On the other hand, for Vygostky, the potentiality of cognitive development depends on the quality of interaction and of the Zone of Proximal Development of the subject.

3. Role of learning

Vygotsky thinks that development depends on learning and that children learn through history and symbolism. Piaget, on the other hand, thinks the opposite. That is, learning depends on development. Piaget affirms that intelligence comes from action and does not give so much importance to external influences..

4. The role of language

Piaget argues that egocentric speech manifests the inability to adopt the perspective of the other and, since it does not adapt to adult intelligence, egocentric speech disappears. For Vygotsky, egocentric speech helps children to organize and regulate their thinking..