So, before I compare Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget, Ill explain a bit about Vygotsky seeing how I have touched on Piaget in previous posts. Vygotsky believes in a "Developmental Trajectory" in which everything a child knows or has learned comes from previous learning, it is all working together to get them to that certain point, ie. it acts as a "trajectory". His idea is based on the "zone of proximate Development" and "Scaffolding". These two ideas basically work off one another in which the teacher sets goals just outside of the students knowledge making it so they need guidance or new knowledge from the teacher to get this task done, and then it moves up, just as scaffolds do. And then again the goal is set just above their ability making it so the student grows some more.
Now looking at Vygotsky's and Piaget's work or findings, I believe it is almost a combination of the two that resonate with my personal inclinations and preferences for teaching. This is because I fully agree that children go through different stages, and can only learn certain things and grasp certain problems or tasks at the proper age. However, I believe in the scaffolding technique set out by Vygotsky, because I will constantly be wanting the students to grow and to be challenged rather than just doing the same thing over and over that they already know how to do.
By combining the two theories, It shows that depending on the stage of development the child is in, you will be able to know how far out of reach you can set the goals for the students, and you will know what new forms of learning you can involve in the "scaffolding" procedure in getting the student to grow and move up. Therefore, I don't think one is better than the other, but that they both serve as use full guidelines in child development and learning.
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