ABSTRACT
Vygotsky actually shared many of Piaget's views, even though their main lines of argument have diverged. Both are constructive and have a main focus on cognitive development. According to Piaget, the construction is an individual project, while Vygotsky views the construction as socially mediated. Children's cognition is shaped through cooperation with others and internalization of cultural tools and thought patterns. Social constructivist theory assumes that children are born with biological mechanisms which also determine early cognitive development but that the individual cognitive resources are insufficient for the independent acquisition of the higher cognitive functions which characterize adults. Vygotsky describes four stages in development characterized by qualitatively different functional capacities. Vygotsky's premature death at 38 years has meant that many of his theoretical ideas remain incomplete and unclear. The developmental phases are therefore characterized by activities which children and adults do together, with the adults acting as mediators.
