Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist and well-known for sociocultural theories like Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), introduced ZPD. Vygotsky was born in Orsha (Belarus), on November 17, 1896. He grew up in Gomel. Lev was a reader of the Torah. As a child, he attended elementary school with his mother. A private tutor helped him at home. At seventeen years old, he went to school. There he received a gold-medal award. Lev Vygotsky was a 1917 graduate of Moscow State University. He also studied philosophy, sociology and linguistics. Vygotsky gave a presentation in 1924 at the Second All-Russian Psychoneurological Congress. He was then offered a position. From that point, he began to attend the Institute of Psychology Moscow. Vygotsky published six psychology novels and was a prolific author. Vygotsky, who was only thirty-seven years old, died from tuberculosis in June 1934.
Vygotsky says that the zone proximal is “the space between what a person knows and what they are unable to do.” Vygotsky believes that children in the zone for proximal growth would benefit from having someone to help them learn. A child can learn from working with others in a classroom setting. For example, a teacher might pair intellectual students with those who have difficulty learning. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive are very different. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development describes the four stages children go through in their mental development. This theory examines intelligence’s nature and explains how children acquire knowledge. Vygotsky’s ideas weren’t discovered until long after his death. Vygotsky theory didn’t have stages like Piaget. Vygotsky believed culture was a key component of development. Piaget thought that all development is possible. Vygotsky saw the importance of adults and more educated peers in development, while Piaget emphasized peer interactions. Piaget seemed to ignore the importance of language for development and believed language was a result mental development. Vygotsky believed language was vital in cognitive development and included it in his theory of Vygotsky. Piaget and Vygotsky have different beliefs. Piaget believes in self-discovery. Vygotsky believes learning can be done by being taught.
Piaget as well as Vygotsky believed in children learning becoming more complicated over time. Both psychologists acknowledged the importance of nurture and nature in developmental processes. Piaget and Vygotsky both concluded that children’s cognitive abilities develop in a sequence.
Both theories are good in my view. I believe in self-discovery. It is also important to learn from wise and experienced people. Piaget’s theory can be used to determine the appropriate curriculum for different age groups.
