Development

There are many people who had tried to understand how development works. Of these people, I have recently learned of two important men: Piaget and Vygotsky. Undoubtedly, throughout this past week or so, I have come to understand a great deal about these men’s’ theories. However, in learning about development, I have come to realize that there is not a set answer to all things; neither Piaget nor Vygotsky hold all answers concerning development. Nevertheless, there is much to be learned from these intellectual giants.

Piaget was able to break intellectual development into four distinct groups. These groups were based upon age ranges. Within the groups, Piaget identified certain characteristics that one would go through; he mapped out the development for each group. It was fascinating to see. However, through personal experience, I realized that these groups are not concrete. You see, after some experimenting, I found that I am not fully functioning where I should be in accordance to Piaget’s age range.

Vygotsky seemed to really focus on learning in an interesting way. One thing that was mentioned was the zone of proximal development. Essentially, he said that individuals go through a sort of process when they learn. If individuals are given something too easy to complete (if there is no challenge), nothing is gained. However, if individuals are given something too difficult (there is too much of a challenge), again, nothing is gained. That being said, it is crucial to for each to recognize their own zone of proximal development.

In my personal life, I have learned to understand my zone of proximal development. When learning new things, I have learned to take the time to gauge where I am. Are things to easy for me? Are things too difficult for me? That being said, I have sought to improve my learning abilities.

When learning comes too easy for me (when there is not a challenge), I have found ways to challenge myself. For the most part, this typically means that I will dive more into a certain topic. Also, I have found that I tend to ask more questions when things are too easy for me. In doing this, I push myself to find more of a challenge.

When learning comes too difficult for me (there is too much of a challenge), I have found ways to make things easier. In these times, I have found that I take the time to read things more slowly. I also take the time to sit down and contemplate the concepts that I have learned. At this point, I take notes and review much. In doing this, I have realized that I am capable of understanding hard things.

In realizing these new concepts about learning, I now have ideas to implement as a teacher. These ideas include the following:

1. I would like to assess my students at the start of each new unit. Doing this, I hope that I will be able to gauge where each of my students zone of proximal development is. Hopefully, by doing this, I will be able to see what things are too hard or too easy.
2. In my class, I would like to cater to each of my student’s needs. If one student is not being challenged enough, I would like to give them more challenging material. If one students finds something too challenging, I would like to have the tools necessary to set them up for success.
3. When teaching younger students, I would like to help them understand conservation and reversibility. In order to do this, I would like to take the time to have fun exercises in class that practice this.