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There are numerous factors which influence how a child learns. These are not based solely on
their stage of development but also on their own experience in life, combined with their
individual personality, therefore making it different for each child. Some of these influences
may include one or more of the following factors: intelligence and creativity, social
background, age and maturity, gender, emotional factors, motivation and the ability to remain
focused some of which can also present a barrier in a child’s learning, (Burnham & Jones,
2002). As the theorists are looked at in more detail it is easy to see how their findings and
approach are quite clearly a driving force in education today.
Jean Piaget, who researched children’s intellectual development looked very closely by
conducting his own studies into the child’s cognitive development and believed that a child
would learn through their own environment and exploration of it. This could only be done if
the right opportunity had been provided by the adult to enable the child to instinctively think
and learn. Piaget suggests that a child interacts with their environment and would relate new
knowledge to existing knowledge by means of a three stage process Assimilation,
Accommodation, Adaptation and that the child’s mental process would expand as new
information was absorbed.
“If a child of five or six months is playing with a toy and it is then covered with a cloth while
the child is watching, the child will most commonly make no attempt to lift the cover and get
the toy again.” (Hammersley-Fletcher et al, 2006).
Both Piaget and Vygotsky were cognitive theorists and were interested in the learners’
knowledge. Vygotsky agreed with Piaget that the way in which a child learns is through
experiences; however he also believed that communication, social interaction and instruction
from adults and peers were essential in a child’s development, (Hammersley-Fletcher et al
2006).
As Vygotsky’s theory was based on communication he developed what is known as the Zone
of Proximal Development (ZPD), which enabled the child to extend their own knowledge
through seeking and using the knowledge of others. Vygotsky suggested that any assessment
of a child should be done through individual tasks and if need be in consultation with the
teacher. Instead of lessons being delivered to the whole class all of the time, there would be a
greater emphasis put on individual and small group work. Adults were seen by Vygotsky as
being the “scaffolding” to the child’s learning as they facilitate the planning therefore helping
the child to sort out and understand the problem or task.