Vygotsky vs. Piaget

Yesterday's class revolved around Vygotsky's influence on educational practices and the constructivist approach.  His Social Cognitive Theory was influenced by Marxism and opinions of people like Engels and Piaget.  Interestingly, Vygotsky was born in Russia in 1896, the same year Piaget was born in Switzerland.  Vygotsky had access to Piaget's publications, but Piaget was unable to study Vygotsky's work because of the Soviet government ban from 1936-1956.  In the most simplest term, the difference between the two theorists is that Piaget believed development causes learning which leads to language, while Vygotsky claimed language is the mechanism of change which leads to learning which causes development; a chicken and the egg type argument.

After a brief lecture on all of this, the professor showed the class a youtube video of twin babies carrying on a conversation.  Sitting in one big circle, she demonstrated the Paideia seminar format, and posed the discussion question of what would Piaget say was going on and what would Vygotsky interpret from the video.  We were then told to pick a side, and the discussion began with everyone defending their favorite theorist.  I believe Vygotsky's theory that language drives learning and development is true, mostly because metacognition is an internalized form of self talk which narrates intended actions.  This belief will drive my future practices within a classroom, and create an atmosphere that is rich in language. 

Manipulatives & Math Games

Yesterday was my "Teaching Elementary School Mathematics" class.  This class focuses on methods to help students bridge the gap between concrete knowledge and abstract concepts.  During the first portion of class, we used commercial manipulatives (tools to illustrate problem solving, like base ten blocks) to solve word problems involving fractions.  I really enjoyed the hands on opportunity this lesson offered.  Being able to see instructional objects put to use creates more meaning than simply hearing about a particular teaching method.  That is one of the many things about my program that I am grateful for; the classes strive to give us experience before we enter the field as professionals.

We spent the second portion of class learning about, and playing with, math games.  Math games help build fluency with concepts by offering non-threatening situations.  Games that combine a cognitive challenge with an element of luck will produce high student engagement.  After our lesson, we were able to experience a few math games first  hand, and connect them to specific state learning standards.  Most games took a fair deal of strategic planning or numeration calculations, and all were very entertaining. 

An assignment for this class is to produce a math game, and share it with the class.  This activity helped cement my concept of what a math game is, and why they are used.  I am still working on refining my game, but it will revolve around a subtraction Performance Expectation for kindergarten. 

Introduction

My name is Kim, and I am currently in my third quarter at CWU-Des Moines.  I am junior standing, double majoring in Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education and minoring in Business Administration.  While this blog is intended as a personal documentation of my experiences, I hope it will reach aspiring future educators. 

A brief introduction  to my program:
Central Washington University offers convenience and affordability through their University Centers.  I am enrolled at the Des Moines campus, where my classes are arranged in a cohort style.  About 25 students are accepted every Fall, and we take pre-arranged classes as a group.  I consider the cohort model to be a very supportive atmosphere.  The school emphasizes a constructivist viewpoint, and the professors have all taught at the elementary level in the past.  The program is highly involved in the community and local school districts.  More on all of this later!