Piaget‟s and Vygotsky‟s Constructivist Theories
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Date
2016-03-07
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University of Eloued جامعة الوادي
Abstract
Constructivism is based on the premise that learners construct their own learning from
their experiences. Effective learning occurs when learners actively process the
information in a way that is meaningful to them.Constructivism is of two waves:
Piaget‘s psychological/individual constructivism; ‗the first wave constructivism‘ or
‗solo constructivism‘, and Vygotsky‘s social constructivism; ‗the second wave
constructivism‘. The first, Piaget constructivism, is concerned with knowledge that
focuses on the individual and psychological sources of learning. Piaget views learning
as active construction of knowledge that challenges and guides thinking toward
understanding. Learning is the process of exploration and discovery; experience
influences thinking and thinking in its turn influences knowledge. Piaget further
refers to four stages of cognitive development that all humans go through: The
sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the
formal operational stage. For Piaget, assimilation, accumulation and equilibratium
areessential processes for effective learning. The latter, Vygotsky‘s Social
constructivist theory views language learning as socialization, not only as cognition. It
recognizes that social interaction and culture are important in shaping individuals‘
learning. It also views teachers and students as co-constructors of meaningful
interaction. Vygotsky constructivism is based on the following terms: ―Zone of
Proximal Development‖ (ZPD), mediation, and scaffolding. Hence, the constructivist
view of learning is at the heart of developing autonomous learners who either
individually -Piaget- or interactively-Vygotsky- construct their own knowledge
Description
THE SECOND NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LANGUAGE, MIND AND LEARNER'S COGNITIVE CAPACITIES March, 7th/8th 2016 University of Eloued
Keywords
constructivism, Piaget constructivism, assimilation, accommodation, equilibrium, Vygotsky constructivism, ZPD, scaffolding, mediation