3… 2… 1… GO!

In chapter 2 of our textbook, Educational Psychology by Woolfolk, Winne and Perry, the main focus is cognitive development and two theories by two psychologists, Piaget and Vygotsky, are explained. In reading this chapter I learned three things about cognitive development and the way students learn at different times in their lives. I made two connections in reading this chapter; one to something I had learned before and one to the style of learning I had experienced in elementary school and junior high school.

I learned in Piaget’s theory why adolescents are so self-conscious about what others think and believe everyone is watching. Woolfolk, Winne and Perry explain that in early adolescence between the ages of 14 and 15, there is a constant worry about their peers seeing them make a mistake or wearing the same outfit as last week. This is due to the concept of adolescent egocentrism and imaginary audience. With these concepts in mind, it is easier to understand why a simple mistake or getting an answer wrong in from of their peers in class can have such a deep impact on their self-image and psyche (p.44-45).

The second thing I learned in Vygotsky’s theory that social interactions can be important in learning. Woolfolk, Winne and Perry describe Vygotsky’s theory of the co-construction of knowledge between a teacher and the learner, where a teacher is another individual who has more knowledge on the subject being learned. After the interaction between the teacher and the leaner the learner internalizes the experience and the knowledge gain. This process of learning is more focused on social interactions between individuals rather than Piaget’s concept of stages of development (p. 50).

The last thing I learned was the role of the teacher to be scaffolding for the student. In the last pages of the chapter, Woolfolk, Winne and Perry clarify Vygotsky’s theory of teachers being the “scaffolding” for students’ learning. Learning is not a solitary experience for the child or learner. The teacher is there to hold up the student and give them support in the learning process while the student firms up their learning of a subject. Vygotsky thought the student cannot go through learning by themselves and teachers are there to be a guide when learning (p. 58).

When reading this chapter I was able to relate the content back to an experience I had at a youth camp called EagleU. There was a heavy emphasis on mentorship in this program. To be mentored is to learn from someone else’s experience and draw from their knowledge. This learning relationship is the same as the one described by Woolfolk, Winne and Perry in this chapter, Vygotsky’s “co-construction” of knowledge between two people (p. 50).

Another connection I was able to make while reading this chapter is the concept of putting students into groups so they could collaborate and share knowledge. I remember being put into table groups in elementary school and knowing now that my teachers could have been trying to implement Vygotsky’s methods and learning theories is exciting. Looking back I feel as though I learned better from my classmates in these social situations that were created. I learned the formal curriculum of content for school as well as an informal curriculum of how to interact with others from my peers.

Vygotsky’s and Piaget’s theories have worth in explaining potential learning processes but there is still lots to question in both of their ideas. For example, “could these two theories work together and play off one another to create a combined theory of learning?”

Woolfolk, A. H., Winne, P. H., & Perry N. (2013). Educational Psychology (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education, Inc.