Looking at Cognitive Development

It is important for educators to understand what cognitive development theory is and how it plays out. We will look at the basic premises of the cognitive development theory. After we have a understand of this theory we will compare and contrast Jean Piaget and Lev Semionovich Vygotsky, both who are cognitive development theorists, views on development of intelligence and the stages of development from birth through adolescence.
Cognitive development theory is essentially the building of the thought process. This is done through remembering, problem solving, and decision making from infancy through adulthood. For a teacher to understand the way their students grow and mentally develop is an immense part of the learning process. In addition, for a teacher to understand the sequence of cognitive development is most important because it allows him or her to better accommodate each student in the classroom (Salvin, 2009).
Piaget and Vygotsky views on the development of intelligences are similar and different. Let us first look the how both are similar. Both feel that the intellectual development occurs when the acquisition of sign system occurs. According to Slavin the sign system is, "Sign system is symbols that cultures create to help people think, communicate, and solve problems" (Slavin, 2009, p. 42). In addition, both theorists feel that in an invariant sequence of steps are the same for all children. Piaget and Vygotsky also agree that development is instigated by cognitive conflict (Slavin, 2009).
With their similarities there is also different view held by both theorists. Piaget feels that development precedes learning, which can simply be explained by saying that a specific development must take place before learning can take place. However, Vygotsky view on this is the opposite of Piaget. Vygotsky feels that learning precedes development, which simply could be explained, something must be learned before development can take place (Slavin, 2009).
Piaget and Vygotsky both have their own views on the stages of cognitive development from birth through adolescence, some are the same and some are different. Let us first look at how they are different. Piaget felt that there are four different stages in cognitive development, which are sensor-motor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. Let us briefly look at each of Piaget's stage (Slavin, 2009).
Piaget first stage, sensor-motor, happens between birth to age two and the child uses their senses and motor skills, also known as inborn behaviors. These include sucking and grasping. Piaget's second stage is the preoperational stage, which occurs between ages two and seven. During the stage, children's thinking is egocentric and centered. Children also have the ability to use symbols to represent objects in the world. Children in this stage also lack the understanding of the principle of conservation. Lastly, in this stage children's language develops at an incredible rate (Huitt & Hummel, 2003).
The third stage is concrete operational. In this stage, which takes place between ages seven and eleven, Piaget feels children's thinking changes from the egocentric to more logical thinking. A new ability arises which is reversibility, this new ability allows the child to perform an intellectual operation and then reverse it, then returning to the starting point. The forth and final stage in Piaget stages of cognitive development is formal operation. This stage happens between the ages of eleven to adulthood. Symbolic and abstract thinking become possible. Hypothetical situation are also processed rationally in this stage (Huitt & Hummel, 2003).
Vygotsky does not feel that there are stages but different elements to cognitive development. The first element is private speech; private speech according to Salvin, "Children's self talk, which guides their thinking and action, eventually internalized as silent inner speech" (Salvin, 2009, p.43). This element is seen when children talk to themselves when faced with a difficult task. As the child matures, the private speech becomes silent (Salvin, 2009).
Vygotsky next element is the zone of proximal development (ZPD). ZPD is the level of development immediately above the person's present level. Vygotsky believes that learning will take place when children are working within their ZPD. This zone can best be described as tasks that children may not have learned yet but are capable of being taught with the assistants of a skilled adult or peer, also known as a "Teachable moment" (Salvin, 2009).
Now that we have a better understanding of both theorists' views on the stages of development we can see that Vygotsky and Piaget's view are very different. Piaget feels that a child goes through four very distinct stages, and in each stage, there is a developmental goal that is reached. Vygotsky, on the other hand, does not feel that there are four stages, but two elements, which we have already discussed. Now that we can clearly see how these two theorists are, different lets look how they are similar (Salvin, 2009).
Vygotsky and Piaget both feel that social factors play an important role in the stages of development. Children must have the outside factors to help them develop. Sights, sounds, and cultural signs are all important to the development of a child. Both theorists feel that it is important for the child to learn the culture sign system. In addition, Vygotsky and Piaget feel that there are some tasks that are out of the child's range of understanding, but Vygotsky feel that the child can be assisted with the task from another skilled person (Salvin, 2009).
Educators have been employing both Piaget and Vygotsky theories over the years in the classroom. A great example of Piagentian learning could be in a kindergarten classroom, keeping in mind this is the preoperational stage, were children tend to be egocentric. The teacher could be asking the children to share and then act out what they do after it snows outside. Some might say they would make snow angles while others might say make snowmen. Both responses would be correct because the children are sharing what their personal experience has been in the snow.
A great example of Vygotsky's cognitive theory could take place in a third grade classroom where children are learning how to classifying rocks and minerals according to different factors. Grouping students together allows the other students to listen to their peers talk themselves through the classifying process of rocks and/or minerals. Allowing this thinking out-loud process allows their peers to hear their thought process and in turn, allowing them to see how they see the rock or mineral. The cooperative learning can cause each in the group to learn from each other.
Comparing these two theorists theory in the examples just given can be easily seen. First, both classrooms are working as groups learning from each other. Vygotsky's cooperative learning is being played out in both classrooms. In the kindergarten classroom, the class is learning that there are different activities that can be done outside in the snow. In addition, in the third grade class the students are working together to find different ways of classifying rocks and minerals. Both classrooms are hears their peers thinking aloud.
Piaget theory is also being played out in both classrooms. In the kindergarten classroom, the classroom is seeing that there is different ways to interact with the snow, and the children are providing their fellow classmates with the information they needs to be able to see this. In the third grade classroom, the students are able to interact with the rocks and minerals to see and feel the differences in each. Both classrooms are interacting with the environment.
Two of Piaget's stages are at work in both classrooms. First, in the kindergarten classroom the students who are in the preoperative stage and are egocentric, feel that their input is the only right answer to the question. Then in the third grade classroom, the children are in the concrete operative stage and are able to look at the differences in the rocks and minerals that they are interacting with.
The differences in the two classrooms are also evident with Vygotsky's theory. First, in the kindergarten classroom the students are working in their zone of proximal development. The student might not know that they can do different activities in the snow so the teacher is allowing the other classmates to teach the other students different activities. The teacher is using the teachable moment to achieve this.
In the third grade classroom, private speech is being used. Each student is thinking aloud the differences and similarities of the rock and minerals. When the student interact with each other this way they are learning the thought process of their fellow student and learning how they see the rock's and minerals.
In conclusion, we can see how important it is to understand and know how to employ cognitive development theories. Piaget and Vygotsky played important roles in the development of how educators teach our children today. Teachers can use the information from both theorists to help their students develop and become master learners.

References
Slavin, R. E. (2009). Educational Psychology: Theory and practice (9th Ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved December 9, 2008 from http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/piaget.html