The ties that bind, them

While I was reading through Mooney's text, I jumped around from one theorist to the next. The three that really seemed to have a lot in common were Vygotsky, Montessori and Piaget. These three held a lot of the same values as educators, each in their own style. All seemed to disregard intelligent tests as a means of assessment and valued observation as a way to see how and where each child was on their developmental path. The main difference that Piaget illustrated was that he had very specific stages of development that each child entered into and in order to move to the next one had to be completed, which the others did not. Another key element they all seemed to value was giving a child time and space to interact with peers to form their own ideas and opinions. Montessori was the most extreme in this regard, she did not believe in interferring with a child's "work," believing that if the child was given enough time they soon would work through it and construct their own ideas and meanings. Vygotsky on the other hand believed that children not only learned from other peers, but also from teachers as well, this I feel really is one of the main differences between him and Montessori. Piaget felt that asking open ended questions would help lead the child to the road of discovery and creating open environments that did not prescribe conditions was essential. For me personally I think each has their merits and limitations. For example children who thrive on both child and adult interaction may not favor a Montessori setting. I do however believe that assessment through standardized testing is in no way accurate in showing a child's potential, it shows how well they did the day they took the test. There are too many factors that affect the outcome of tests to hold them to be the final/true word. I am now stepping off my testing soapbox.