Doing a Piaget and Vygotsky with my grandson, Kudzwai
According to Piaget, children are expected to take an active role in the learning process. There is supposed to be a simulation in which children become little scientists doing experiments, make observations and thereby learn about the world.
WHEN you are young, frivolous and inexperienced, you tend to think the world of yourself. You somehow get to think that you are the sun and everyone else is a planet revolving around you. Those are your days of your insufferable self-centredness. Like the Americans you suffer from what I call “superlativitis” — an affliction in which no one else, but you is at the apex of anything. So you end up having the most wonderful family in the world, the most gifted children in the world, the most beautiful wife in the world, the handsomest husband on earth and so on and so forth. So I if start saying that I have the smartest grandson on earth people must indulge me.
In today’s article I want to explore the possibilities of binary interaction between mentor and learner in whatever setting, formal or informal. My grandson and I are part of a binary mentor-learner pair. According to Merriam-Webster (online) the story of Noah and the ark in the Bible is a story of binaries because:
The animals went in two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo . . . It was a binary parade of sorts that went into Noah’s ark. In addition “binary” can be traced to the Latin word “bini” which means “two by two”.
In general, the word can stand for anything with two parts. The binary idea is also explained through synonyms that include double, double-barrelled, dual, double-edged, twin and so on.
In the field of mathematics, most people operate on base 10 only. However, the binary system uses the numeral 2 rather than 10 as a base. There seems to be a binary base for the saying, “Two is company, and three is a crowd” (in certain circumstances). Shona-speaking people say the third person is the one who spreads gossip and malice. Pastors and prophets can, no doubt, quote instances in the holy book when the number two is extolled. But what else does the word binary mean? That is interesting, especially when we consider that English words and utterances are often self-contradictory, and that is why, for example, sanction can mean to “forbid” and at the same time mean to “allow” or give the go-ahead for something. Accordingly, in the area of relationships and social commerce the word “binary” can denote other things such as tension or contradiction. This, however, does not mean or imply a state of permanent disequilibrium. People can, and do go asunder (go their separate ways) or they can have long seasons of togetherness and cooperation until the next contradiction comes.
In the field of education there are cases in which important educational models have come out of situations in which the researcher studies a child or children in a family circle. Out of the interaction a theory is eventually proposed and recommendations made. Society now derives lasting benefits from the pioneering work of some of these researchers who in the end gave the world material that has in many ways become basic to teaching and learning. Jean Piaget the Swiss psychologist is a case in point. He enunciated his theory of cognitive development after studying his child and his nephew. Piaget’s theory suggests that children move through four different stages of mental development and is focused on understanding how children acquire knowledge as well as on understanding the nature of intelligence itself.
According to Piaget, children are expected to take an active role in the learning process. There is supposed to be a simulation in which children become little scientists doing experiments, make observations and thereby learn about the world. Furthermore, Piaget held that as children interact with the world around them, they add new knowledge to existing knowledge and when they do so they, in fact, build upon existing knowledge in a fine-tuning process reflected in the
adaptation of ideas already in their repertoire. This is a way of bringing on board new pieces of information. In such cases, progress is more or less negotiated by the two sides. Details regarding Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development need a separate time slot, but for now it is enough to state that Piaget’s stages are hierarchical. Children start with elementary sensorimotor operations and in time peak with formal operations.
Lev Vygotsky’s work was not initially applauded in the West. With time, however, Vygotsky’s work (especially in the last few decades) has seen a re-appraisal that has spawned a new school of neo-Vygotskian researchers. In my view, Vygotsky’s work was good news for anyone likely to be called a slow-paced learner. His major contribution was the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), according to which, with proper and well-executed assistance/ scaffolding anyone can learn anything at their own pace. In recent times I have found myself thinking about these two cognitive psychologists and begun to engage in a kind of informal action research mostly with one of my grandchildren. This is in keeping with my strong belief in teacher-learner partnerships in which learning, even when unintended, takes place, nevertheless. This is generally the case when the teacher learns something from the pupil. A solid understanding of this partnership is of particular relevance, especially these days when Zimbabwe is negotiating and enacting a new curriculum across the board. How then does all this relate to my personal experiences, and those of my grandson?
My precocious two-year old grandson, mothered by one of my daughters, is a fascinating case of sharp memory, prestigious competence in language and quick intelligence. Everything about him has been different, starting with the pace at which his mouth filled up with teeth (lower and upper jaw). That development has meant that he has hardly ever spoken like a baby. He hears a word once or a name and it stays in his mind. His vocabulary and utterances are amazing in their complexity. And like the proverbial elephant he remembers most things long past their actual occurrence. To crown it all, the boy recites and boasts openly about his totem.
The other day my grandson said to me, “Sekuru, paivapo . . .” (Grandpa, once upon a time . . .) and I realised that he was proposing to tell me a story in the tradition of the Shona sarungano (storyteller) so I let him do so. At this point in time, his story-telling appears to be summative with incidents related only as core material. His story went something like this:
There was Hare and Baboon. They said, let’s cook each other. Baboon went into the pot first. Hare was next. He sat in the water until it was very hot. Then he came out. Baboon went in again. The water boiled and he cried. He said, Hare, Hare, let me out. Hare shut the pot and said, boil on, boil on, my nice animal. Baboon cried some more. Hare cooked him and ate him up. Then he made a whistle from one of the bones from Baboon (my translation).
My wife, the boy’s grandmother, a veritable storyteller, urges the boy on and gives him cues and prompts whenever he appears to be hesitant or temporarily distracted.
Since Piaget and Vygotsky, technology has made tremendous advances. The mobile phone is no longer just a fantasy anymore. In these changed circumstances, my grandson’s favourite toy is his mother’s mobile phone. At only two years of age, the boy can navigate his way around a mobile phone. When he locates his favourite videos he beams pleasantly and sings along. Soul Jah Love’s “Pamamonya ipapo” enthrals him. He chants, “Chibaba-baba, Mwana waSithembeni” in a lively rendition of “Pamamonya ipapo”.
My grandson’s sense of melody and rhythm is absolutely amazing for a twoyear old. During several intermittent sessions in his waking moments, he applies his palms to anything that to him is a good representation of a drum, something whose sound can approximate that of a drum. He prances around the room, occasionally stopping to pound on his make-shift drums as he sings the chorus of a popular Anglican Church hymn. “Yera, yera”, he bubbles. Every so often my grandson abandons his drumming and plays shakers (hosho) instead. He is also a very adept dancer!
I have taught the boy some action rhymes including one from my childhood which goes something like this:
Po chigochanyuchi/Paul the beegriller
Auya nemandere/Has brought us chafer beetles
When my grandson does this rhyme he does it with aplomb. Above all else, he has begun to name the things around him, and understandably, the questions are pouring in. He asks what this or that is and, importantly, touches each object as he says the word that names it. Sometimes he asks for reasons why things are done. When sent on an errand, he remembers the instruction and delivers on it. The way I see it, there is something here to learn in terms of interactive learning, programming and innovation.