Analyzing Short Interviews About Being Alive - Assignment Example

Living and Learning The objective of the paper to analyze the interview undertaken based on the experiences in life of Dan, Lee and Casey. All human beings experience learning at every stage of their lives. The place where a child learns the most is at home. From the time the child is born until the time that child reaches adulthood, it is always the home which will have the influence in his learning. On the constructivist point of view, as a person earns experiences while growing, that person learns.

A person’s learning should be a well-rounded experience which stimulates all capabilities and talents. It should not be limited to only one or few aspects. The learning should not be limited on a specific knowledge alone.From ages 5 to 7 years old, it is more noticeable that the type of learning that children shows is that of a social-based type of learning. Children are more influenced by the things that are seen around and inside their household. The things that children show is what the immediate people in the surroundings have taught or exhibited. . Just like in the interview that was conducted with a child from this age group, the only thing that they can consider true is what they see.

Danny when asked what is alive and what is not, the only things considered are the ones that are visible. The child can barely express his opinion about the wind, though Danny can feel it, he cannot see it. Doubt can envelop the idea of children of the said age group in relation to entities that they can feel but are not visible. Children observe what is around them to describe or rationalize ideas and further explain their thoughts. This type of learning corresponds to Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development.

A person’s surrounding i.e. the neighborhood the child lives in has an effect in the child’s learning process and cognitive development (LeGard, 1-2).Children from this age group tend to apply reasoning based on their own experiences. This is not usual anymore for children coming from other age groups. As a child goes up the educational ladder, what is being explained at the academy is what these children are applying and combining to observations in the surroundings. In the second part of the interview, with children from another age group were examined and differences in opinions were observed.

Unlike in the succeeding age level specifically ages 9 to 11, children still base their answers to what they have observed yet it is being influenced by the things which are being taught in school. The academy and the society out of the home are contributing and influencing the child’s learning behavior. It is still not going the way Piaget have foreseen the cognitive stages in the theory that he presented. Piaget believed that a child will undergo all the 4 stages of cognitive development which he presented regardless of the social structure the child belongs to (LeGard, 1).

These children now have a concept of the other branches of science. As a result of this, when asked what they consider as alive the children answered back more scientifically. Their opinions have more bases as compared to pure observation. The heart, lungs and stomach has been considered to answer a question on what can be considered as alive. It is not just purely based on what they see but also of what they feel and other body parts which are not visible physically. At this point, Vygotsky’s theory is combined with Piaget’s as to the concept of additional learning.

Learning could not purely be social-based. Learning also has to have domains or should be multi-dimensional for a child to be a well-rounded learner. Piaget and Vygotsky both believed that learning is associated with interaction among their peers. Even during infancy, learning can occur. The difference that they have though is that Piaget believed in learning stages that a person undergoes and can only move by fulfilling all the requirements of the stage where he or she is in. On the other hand, while agreeing with Piaget that learning is an intellectual growth, Vygotsky believed that learning is more on the social aspect rather than cognition-based methods (LeGard, 1-3).

Vygotsky’s theory can be considered more feasible than Piaget because learning is not an exclusive experience. This theory would be effective for children until the 8 years old. These children tend to focus more on how they would be observant of the things that surround them. Learning a certain subject matter can have different rate in different societies. Also, even if the students are categorized by grade levels, there are also cases where some students are more advanced for their age. There are restrictions in Piaget’s theory while Vygotsky’s theory is more open to possibilities and encouragement in the aspect of learning.

With these limitations in the theory, this is more applicable for students who are 9 years old and above as they have the foundations already of understanding written contexts which they can apply to the things that they have observed. Here, students would be more willing to undergo a learning process that is beyond the observation to prove certain theories and hypotheses. These students are curious as to what is happening around them which is beyond their vision. It is a stage where they would explore more and understand the facts that are presented to them.

Vygotsky also believes that speech is the main tool in the learning process of an individual. A social-based cognitive type of learning is more effective as it exemplifies learning as a complete package rather than being a form of learning that is categorized in levels and wherein learner’s learning process is standardized and limited to what is believed to be the capabilities of each group described (LeGard, 3-4). Once the foundation of the children has been properly molded on the schools practicing Vygotsky’s theory, they would be more susceptible in acknowledging facts that will be introduced in schools practicing Piaget’s.

Works Cited:Dan, Lee and Casey Interview Notes.LeGard, W.T. Piaget Versus Vygotsky. OU. 2004. Retrieved 16 December 2011. .