Abstract

Three perspectives on learning and/or development are described. First, learning and development within two theoretical positions in developmental psychology, Piagetian and Vygotskian theory, are described. The major way in which these theories differ is in terms of the source of learning and development whether the learner creates the knowledge herself through interaction with the social and physical environment, or whether she is taught the knowledge directly or indirectly by another. Differences in these two theories in terms of fundamental assumptions and topics of investigation are described, but it is also pointed out that the two theories are indeed similar in some fundamental ways. Piagetian and Vygotskian perspectives on learning and development are then contrasted with direct teaching. There are essentially two types of teaching: teaching that assumes a passive learner who absorbs the material presented, and teaching that assumes an active learner who reconstructs the infomation presented. It would be claimed that only teaching in which the learner takes an active role is likely to lead to genuine learning and development. Ironically, it is when we- as parents or as teachers-most value the transmission of a certain sort of information that we are most likely to become impatient with the natural processes of active learning, and engage in direct teaching of a relatively passive student. Some possible consequences of this approach is discussed.