Question

Joyce and Jay have a 2 ½ year old son, Jayson, who is an extremely active, vivacious child, and is his parents’ heart and joy. He seems to be taking in just about everything when he’s awake and Joyce describes him as the “little scientist.” Joyce and Jay are in their late 30s and have not been around kids much during the last ten years or so. They are wondering how to interact with Jayson to promote his cognitive development--should they play music, should they bring out the flashcards? What are some tips you can give Joyce and Jay about promoting Jayson’s cognitive development?

What would Vygotsky recommend that the parents begin assisting Jayson's development?

What would Piaget recommend that the parents do to assist Jayson’s cognitive development?

Finally, compare and contrast Piaget and Vygotsky theories of development.

Next, write a paper explaining your rationale for the decision, as well as examples and/or proof of how this theory would promote Jayson’s cognitive development.

Answer 1

Joyce & Jay can promote the cognitive development of their 2.6 yr old son Jayson by some of the following ways:-

1. Sing a song - By playing music such as nursery rhymes & singing songs to their child, Jayson, the parents can encourage him to learn words.

2. Practice the Alphabets - The child can be exposed to the alphabets through alphabets flashcards & puzzles to help him identify the various alphabets.

3. Numbers & Counting- By counting live objects such as number of shoes, cushions, books etc in the house, the child can be stimulated to pick up the numbers & learn counting.

4. Shapes - Showing the child different shapes such as round balls, crescent shaped moon, square books or triangle pyramid will encourage him to identify various shapes such as circle, triangle, rectangle.

5. Colours- The parents can help the child learn & identify various colours such as showing him a rainbow, M&M chocolates, a blue ball, vegetables such as green spinach or a red bell pepper.

6. Play games- The parents can play games with Jayson such as building blocks, solving puzzles, outdoor sports thereby giving him a wide exposure so as to encourage him to learn new things.  

7. Visit interesting places- The parents can take the child to places such as a farm & show him various animals, a garden where the child can learn colours of flowers, green or brown leaves, or a museum. Such exposure will enable the child to learn & grasp through an active hands on exposure with the environment.

With reference to Jean Piaget theory of cognitive development, Piaget proposes that children are active learners who imbibe knowledge from their environments. On the other hand, Lev Vygotsky focusses more on on the role of culture and social interactions as being crucial factors contributing towards the child's cognitive development.  

As per Piaget's approach, a child actively learns from the environemnt he is exposed to. Thus, the parents, Joyce & Jayshould consciously create an environment in their houselhold that encourages Jayson to learn new things. Also, when a child realizes a new idea does not match with what he has previously learnt, he will actively seek out the correct answers through asking his parents more questions.

As per Vygotsky's approach, parents formal and informal conversations with their child, Jayson would be instrumental in the child's learning & will also contribute to the child's speech formation. As the child grows, speech will become more complex and gradually thought and language will become independent. The parents can help Jayson perform more difficult tasks and must encourage play as play is considered crucial in the child's cognitive development.  

Thus, a blend of activities utilized by Jayson's parents can effectively contibute towards his cognitive development.