Question

Provide a brief description of Piaget’s, Vygotsky’s, and Bronfenbrenner’s theories.  Are each of these theories continuous or discontinuous theories?  What are the key concepts associated with each theory that differentiate them from each other?

Based on your understanding of intentional teaching, which of these theories do you believe has the greatest impact on intentional teaching?  Explain why, and please relate your own experiences and examples to this discussion. 

Answer 1

Intentional teaching is an active process where the teacher interacts with the children under her care by keeping a goal in her mind and creates an environment that is built to strengthen their abilities. The basic belief of intentional teaching is that in a classroom the growing children require adult support to enhance their skill and ability.

Piaget's theory is based on how children's cognitive development takes place. According to him, the cognitive development is the result of biological maturation and interaction with the environment that includes observation.

He developed the theory on three basic components through which a child learns the number, time, quantity, justice, casualty and justice. These are 1. Schemas, 2.Adaptation, 3.Stages of cognitive development.

Schemas are the way of organizing knowledge that is stored and used in later stages of life. The newborn is born with the innate ability to suck if anything touches the lip, or turning of the face if anything touches the cheeks.

Adaptation is assimilation, accommodation, and equilibrium, assimilation is when the existing schemas work, and if the existing schema does not work they accommodate to get acquainted with the change.

Equilibrium happens when the child is able to deal with the new information it helps the child to keep away frustration and maintain balance even in unpleasant circumstances.

The third stage is cognitive development that is divided into a lifespan of a child 1. Sensorimotor (birth to age 2), 2.Preoperational stage (age 2 to age 7), 3. Concrete operational stage (age 7 to age 11), 4. Formal operational stage,((age 11+ adolescence and adulthood).

According to him the children go through these stages it can be a little late or early but the stages are in this chronological order.

Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist, he emphasizes that society and culture play an important role in promoting a child's cognitive development. By engaging, the children intentionally is a systematic meaningful activity because culture and thoughts are interdependent.

His theory is based on constructivism he says a child's development takes place with his interaction with the culture and society because it acts as a mediator, and helps the information of the basic aspect of the learning, memory, and attention.

He developed the Sociocultural Theory that defines that the cognitive development of the child is more influenced by his peer, teacher, parents, caregivers, and environment that is interacting with other people.

Urie Bronfenbrenner is an American psychologist; he developed the Ecological Systems Theory that states the development of a child is inherent qualities and interaction with the environment. He has divided the ecological system in 1. The microsystem: It defines the child’s initial interaction is developed at home, school or daycare, peer group, and community environment, 2. mesosystem is the interaction between the parents, peer groups and teachers and friendship.3. the exosystem is the situation where the child does not directly interact but it has an impact on the child, 4  macrosystem system, it is the cultural values, belief, political and economic system because the effect of culture and environment have an impact on the child a peaceful environment would help positively in developing the cognitive ability.5. And the last is chronosystem is the time the experience, information, that the child is constantly exposed makes an impact on the child forming his own view towards the world.

His theory is useful in finding the interrelated influences the child has of different people and environments and how it affects the child as social culture is also very important.

The concept of each theory is almost the same all deals with the cognitive development of the child, the learning process in the child is, in fact, genetic and inherited as per Vygotsky's theory but it can be developed by information and social interaction. Jean Piaget's theory is used in the UK education system that says the child can acquire information by adaptation and assimilation. The information that is gained in childhood is useful in adulthood. The Urie Bronfenbrenner theory is also dealing with learning through interaction with the people and the environment.

Thus by analyzing these three theories one can say for the child's development gene, culture, environment, and interaction with people are all co-related, it depends on with whom the child interacts because the people coming in on’s life plays a pivotal role in their development.

All the theories go well with intentional teaching because it deals with the development of the child by keeping a goal in the mind by the teacher. The UK education system has taken the help of od Piaget’s theories. These theories are used to formulate curriculum because these guides how the child can be handled in the best possible way, by talking, explaining, interacting with teacher, peer group and parents, and how the social circle influences in molding the child, and at the end, the information and experiences gathered are utilized in adulthood.

My childhood experience is a good one as I had caring parents, who had guided me in each step of life, and today I am successful in my life because the moral values were taught to me in the begging and how to avoid the bad company was taught to me by my parents. My school and college education has helped get a good job and economically I am well settled.