Write a paragraph comparing Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of infant cognitive development and describe some of the limitations of each perspective.
In the second paragraph provide an example of Piaget's theory in an infant classroom
In the third paragraph provide an example of Vygotsky's theory in an infant classroom.
You can also submit this information as a newsletter or a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
Part II
Heres what is expected of students.
1. Your responses for all discussions should include specific support from course materials, including any readings, videos, your own experiences, or other sources that may apply to the topic.
2. Post your response to the discussion by Sunday night
3. Lastly, go back and give thoughtful, thought-out responses that reflects on something that connects what you know or just learned about child care. Help to move the conversation forward, give alternative view points and/or support. BY Sunday at 11:59pm.
4. Check back in to see if you need to respond to a classmate.
Time To Reflect:
In this Forum, please discuss something that you learned from your readings and resources about having conversations with families. If you want more to review about the topic, check outThe Virtual Lab School's Communication with FamiliesLinks to an external site. module on the impact of our language with families.
Share your thoughts to these prompts:
• How can we have better conversations with families to understand the challenges that they are facing and support them?
• What does it mean to use a strengths-based approach with families?
Remember to make your first post by Sunday night and respond to at least 2 of your classmates' posts by Tuesday night.
https://www.virtuallabschool.org/management/communication-and-language-development/lesson-3
Part III
Week 6 Writing Assignment Modes of Communication with families
As an educator, there are several ways you communicate with families, so they remain connected. Some modes of communication include daily sheets, newsletters, and conferences. You are required to write a 1-2 page paper.
a) Reflect on a situation where you had to immediately contact a family member to keep them informed. What was this experience like?
b) Do you think contacting families via phone support their young children's early learning and strengthen home-school relationships? (fully explain)
c) Do you text parents learning ideas weekly? If, yes or no, please fully describe the experience.
d) How are photos of children engaging in activities at school shared with families?
e) Is important information happening in the classroom or center shared through only paper and verbal communication? (fully explain)
f) Does the school have a social media site for the center, where resources, and school information can be found?
Sample Answer
Comparing Piaget and Vygotsky in Infant Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky offered fundamentally different views on how infants construct knowledge, leading to distinct pedagogical implications. Piaget’s cognitive-developmental theory posits that development precedes learning, emphasizing the infant as a "little scientist" who actively explores their environment and constructs schema independently through processes like assimilation and accommodation. In the sensorimotor stage (birth to two years), infants develop object permanence and goal-directed actions primarily through direct sensory and motor experiences. Conversely, Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory argues that social learning precedes development. He stressed the role of culture and language, asserting that cognitive growth is driven by interactions with more knowledgeable others (MKO) within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). While Piaget’s focus on universal, biologically programmed stages is sometimes criticized for underestimating the role of early cultural context, Vygotsky's reliance on social interaction is sometimes limited in explaining the earliest forms of exploratory, non-social learning that infants undertake before robust language skills emerge.
A classroom environment informed by Piaget’s theory emphasizes self-initiated, hands-on exploration that encourages individual discovery. For an infant room (6–18 months), this is exemplified by placing a variety of developmentally appropriate materials in low, accessible baskets and allowing the infants ample time and space for unstructured play. For instance, an educator might provide a set of nesting cups or a shape sorter and observe a toddler independently working to understand the relationships between the objects' sizes or shapes. The educator avoids immediate intervention, instead facilitating an environment where the child must problem-solve on their own to overcome cognitive disequilibrium, such as realizing a large cup does not fit inside a smaller one, thus prompting them to adjust their mental schemaA classroom environment informed by Piaget’s theory emphasizes self-initiated, hands-on exploration that encourages individual discovery. For an infant room (6–18 months), this is exemplified by placing a variety of developmentally appropriate materials in low, accessible baskets and allowing the infants ample time and space for unstructured play. For instance, an educator might provide a set of nesting cups or a shape sorter and observe a toddler independently working to understand the relationships between the objects' sizes or shapes. The educator avoids immediate intervention, instead facilitating an environment where the child must problem-solve on their own to overcome cognitive disequilibrium, such as realizing a large cup does not fit inside a smaller one, thus prompting them to adjust their mental schema