This chapter is about constructivism and cognitive development. It focuses on the theories of two famous psychologists, Piaget and Vygotsky. Piaget was considered an individual constructivist, and proposed that children's development and thinking was the result of four main factors. These factors are biological maturation, active exploration of the environment, social experiences, and equilibrium.
Piaget really emphasizes the fact that development happens as a result of biological maturation. The main difference between development an learning according to him is that development precedes learning. A person has to be biologically and developmentally ready to learn. Critical thinking and other factors can not push development. Development has to happen naturally when the child is ready. There is nothing that a teacher or anyone else can do to force a child to develop.
I like what you have here, but a little more clarification would illuminate things. What is learning and why does a child need to be ready for it?
ReplyDeleteYou do list the four factors from the book that are important to Piaget, but what do these mean in your own words?