Influential Philosophies

inEducation

Terresa D. Fontana, M.A.Ed.

Cognitive Theory

Behavioral Theory

Social Theory

Jean Piaget(1896-1980)

B. F. Skinner(1904-1990)

L. S. Vygotsky(1896-1934)

Swiss educator and life-long researcher

whose passions included

developmental psychology and

genetic epistemology

Fascinated with the development of

knowledge and applied his studies in Biology

and Philosophy towards developing his

cognitive learning theory

American psychologist whose interests

included research and writing

Developed his behavioral theory

based on his beliefs that an individual

simply responds to stimuli within its

environment

Russian psychologist whose interests

included literature and philosophy

Theoretical framework is based on the

understanding that cognitive development

is dependent upon social interaction

Jean PiagetKey Idea of Cognitive Development

Theory

A child actively constructs individual knowledge through organization and adaptation of

information until equilibration has occurred.

Adaptation is the process of:assimilation: taking in new information and molding it to

fit into existing knowledge “schema” or structuresaccommodation: changing schema to adapt to new

informationequilibration: occurs when there is a balance between

assimilation and accommodation

Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development

• Sensorimotor (birth to 2 years)

Children learn through their senses and develop schema for object permanence and goal-directed behavior.

• Preoperational (2 – 7 years)

Children continue to learn through their senses but begin to use language to represent objects; begin to form intuitive theories to explain events. Key components: egocentrism, centration, rigidity of thought.

• Concrete Operational (7 – 11 years)

Children begin to develop concepts of number, relationships, processes; still think in terms of concrete objects; developing ability to understand rules. Key components: classification, seriation and conservation.

• Formal Operational (11 + years)Adolescents and adults are capable of abstract thought, inductive and deductive reasoning and reflection.

Teacher’s Role

The teacher is the facilitator of age-appropriate and

developmentally-appropriate learning experiences.

B. F. Skinner

Key Idea of Behavioral Theory

Learning is simply a behavioral response to the environment and

is controlled through reinforcement and punishment.

Operant Conditioning

“…a form of learning in which the consequences of behavior lead to changes

in the probability of that behavior’s occurrence.”

(Santrock, 1990)

(Also may be referred to as the Stimulus-Response Behavioral Pattern)

Teacher’s Role

The teacher is the regulator of behavior through the use of rewards

and punishment.

Lev VygotskyKey Idea of Social-Learning Theory

A child’s knowledge can only be constructed through social interaction with other children

and adults within the Zone of Proximal Development and is dependent upon the

child’s culture and society.

Zone of Proximal Development: the difference between what children can do on their own

and with the assistance of others

Vygotsky’s Three Stages of Language Development

• Communication (social speech)

• Egocentric (private speech) Used to regulate thinking; includes talking aloud or whispering

• Inner Speech (verbal thoughts)Used to guide thinking and actions

Teacher’s Role

The teacher is the facilitator of meaningful play and social learning

experiences.

Cognitive Theory

Behavioral Theory

Social Theory

I provide activities outside the regular curriculum to allow

my students to experience hands-

on, developmentally-

appropriate learning

experiences.

I utilize a behavior management

system in which there are

consequences for good and bad

behavior in order to control the classroom and

learning environment.

I provide group learning activities

and encourage social learning

whenever possible, usually through the

use of activities outside the regular

curriculum.

References

Kearsley, G. (no date) Explorations in learning and instruction: The theory into practice database. Retrieved November 27, 2004, from http://tip.psychology.org/

McGraw-Hill Higher-Education. (2002) Cognitive development: Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories. In Child and Adolescent Development for Educators. Retrieved November 27, 2004, from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072322357/student_view0/chapter3/chapter_overview.html

Peterson, R. (1986) The Piaget handbook for teachers and parents. New York: Teachers College Press.

Santrock, J. W. (1990) Children (2nd ed.). Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Publishers.