When paying attention to the similarities in the theories of
Piaget and Vygotsky, what is apparent is the fact that both view
children as active learners engaged in a cognitive conflict where
the exposure to the surrounding environment allows changes in their
understanding. Both believe that this development declines with
age. However, there are wide differences between the two as
well.
For instance, while for Piaget development precedes learning,
Vygotsky believes the visa versa. He states that it is social
learning that comes before development. This can be considered the
key difference between the two theories.
Also, though Piaget assigns cognitive development to stages of
development which seems rather universal, Vygotsky uses a different
approach which gives prominence to culture and social interactions
as means of shaping development.
Another difference between the two theories stems from the
attention paid to social factors. Piaget believes that learning is
more of an independent exploration whereas Vygotsky sees it more as
a cooperative effort especially through the zone of proximal
development as a child is being assisted to develop his
abilities.
The key difference is that while Piaget uses universal stages
of development and a rather independent approach of the learner,
Vygotsky stresses on the social factors and the social interactions
which influence development.
Another important feature is that Vygotsky pays a lot of
attention to the cultural attributes such as language and culture
as a whole which creates an impact on the cognitive development of
individuals, which is lacking in the theory of Piaget.
For example,Piaget idea had a huge influence on British
education. Teachers role if to ask question and provide material to
provide the children in state of disequilbration that enable them
to modify their schema. Piaget theory suggests child centre
learning, as all children mature at different rates, this help
create small group activity and different children learn in
different way.
Vygotsky's theory has high implication for education as well
but having a different approach from Piaget; especially in the
recent years as he stresses out the importance of social
interaction with more experienced others as an essential, as
education was a fundamental aspect of human development.
Peer tutoring is a key concept as children learn little when on
their own or from a teacher who so advance, but rather with
children a year or two ahead of those being taught. This is seen to
be scaffolding. The zone of proximal development helps as a guide
to help children achieve according to their abilities. Vygotsky
believes children should learn through play, especially through
role plays as children operate beyond their usual level of
thinking.