Vygotsky, Bruner, and Dienes share the cognitive viewpoint of learning. Lev Vygotsky, a constructive theorist, viewed social and cognitive development as working jointly while building on each other. One of Vygotsky’s major contributions to understanding child development, is the concept of the zone of proximal development (Mooney, 2013). Vygotsky believed this concept to be the difference between what a child can accomplish on his own, and what he can do with the assistance of a teacher or peer. In conjunction with the zone of proximal development, scaffolding is vital to a child’s development. In Vygotsky’s view, scaffolding is instrumental in the child’s development of knowledge and skills (Shemmar & Al-Thani, 2015). Vygotsky advocated for observation in promoting a child’s development. Teachers become familiar with a child’s development through listening and watching his behavior, in this way, a greater degree of learning occurs as the teacher is aware of what the student knows, and can relate it to learning new concepts. In Vygotsky’s view, social interaction promotes individualized thinking.

Concerned with the process of learning and instruction, Jerome Bruner’s theory supports children learning through guidance and support. Similar to Vygotsky, Bruner believed instructional scaffolding to be vital to a child’s cognitive development. In Bruner’s view, any student can be taught any subject regardless of his stage of development, given support is provided in the right way, at the right time (Choudhry, 2013). An advocate for discovery learning, Bruner believed learning to be an active process. Learners create new ideas or concepts based on existing knowledge. Bruner’s theory of learning was based on children learning through three phases of cognitive development in which he or she progresses: the enactive phase, iconic stage, and the symbolic mode (Choudhry, 2013).

Focusing primarily on mathematics, Zoltan Dienes’ theory of learning includes applying teaching practices that consider children’s learning styles, and the rate their learning occurs (Gningue, 2016). Dienes’ theory includes the use of manipulative materials, games and stories. He believed at an earlier age than previously thought, children can comprehend complicated math concepts than previously assumed. Per Dienes’ theory, mastering a new concept is a process that evolves over time, and involves the child progressing through stages, or cycles of learning (Gningue, 2016).