Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development & Its Educational Implications.
Piaget's (1936) theory of cognitive development explains how
a child constructs a mental model of the world. He disagreed with the idea that
intelligence was a fixed trait, and regarded cognitive development as a process
which occurs due to biological maturation and interaction with the environment.
According to Piaget, children are born with a very basic
mental structure (genetically inherited and evolved) on which all subsequent
learning and knowledge are based.
There
Are Three Basic Components To Piaget's Cognitive Theory:
·
Schemas:
Schemas are the basic building blocks of such
cognitive models, and enable us to form a mental representation of the world.
·
Adaptation: processes that
enable the transition from one stage to another (equilibrium,
assimilation, and accommodation).
1. Assimilation: Which is using an existing schema to
deal with a new object or situation?
2. Accommodation: This happens when the existing
schema (knowledge) does not work, and needs to be changed to deal with a new
object or situation.
3. Equilibration: This is the force
which moves development along. Piaget believed that cognitive development did
not progress at a steady rate, but rather in leaps and bounds.
1.
Sensori
motor(Birth-2Years)
a)
Semantic function. During this stage the child develops the ability to think
using symbols and signs. Symbols represent something or someone else; for
example, a doll may symbolize a baby, child or an adult.
b)
Egocentrism. This stage is characterized by egocentrism. Children believe
that their way of thinking is the only way to think.
c)
Decentering. A
pre-operational child has difficulty in seeing more than one dimension or
aspects of situation. It is called decentering.
d) Animism. Children tend to
refer to inanimate objects as if they have life-like qualities and are capable
of actions.
e)
Seriation. They lack the ability of classification or grouping objects
into categories.
f)
Conservation. It refers to the understanding that certain properties of an
object remain the same despite a change in their appearance.
- Preoperational (2-7Years)
a)
Think Symbolically: During this stage, young
children can think about things symbolically. This is the ability to make one
thing - a word or an object - stand for something other than itself.
b)
Thinking is still egocentric,
and the infant has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others.
c)
Children at this stage tend to be
egocentric and struggle to see things from the perspective of others.
d)
While they are getting better with language
and thinking, they still tend to think about things in very concrete
terms.
3 Concrete
operational(7-11 Years)
a)
Piaget considered the concrete stage a major turning
point in the child's cognitive development because it marks the beginning of
logical or operational
thought.
b)
This means the child can work things out internally in
their head (rather than physically try things out in the real world).
c)
Children can conserve number (age 6), mass (age 7), and
weight (age 9). Conservation is the understanding that something stays the same
in quantity even though its appearance changes.
d)
They begin to understand the concept
of conservation; that the amount of liquid in a short, wide cup is equal to
that in a tall, skinny glass, for example.
e)
Their thinking becomes more logical
and organized, but still very concrete.
f)
Children begin using inductive logic,
or reasoning from specific information to a general principle.
4 Formal
operational(11 Years & Above)
a)
The formal operational stage begins at approximately age
eleven and lasts into adulthood. During this time, people develop the ability
to think about abstract concepts, and logically test hypotheses.
b)
At this stage, the adolescent or
young adult begins to think abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems.
c)
Abstract thought emerges.
d)
Teens begin to think more about
moral, philosophical, ethical, social, and political issues that require
theoretical and abstract reasoning.
e)
Begin to use deductive logic, or
reasoning from a general principle to specific information.
Educational
Implications:
It
is important when evaluating Piaget's theory to consider not only the empirical
studies but also the great impact that Piaget had upon education. Although
aspects of his theory have been critiqued it is important to note that he had a
vast impact on the education of children especially primary age children.
Piaget's work heavily influenced educational theories and practices. The
following implications can be taken for the following stages;
1 Sensorimotor
Stage
Teaching
for a child in this stage should be geared to the sensorimotor system. You can
modify behavior by using the senses: a frown, a stern or soothing voice -- all
serve as appropriate techniques.
2
Pre
- Operational Stage
Teaching
must take into account the child's vivid fantasies and undeveloped sense of
time. Using neutral words, body outlines and equipment a child can touch, gives
him an active role in learning.
Some
guidelines may include;
- · Use concrete teaching aids such as sticks for teaching addition and subtraction.
- · Reduce egocentrism by involving children in social interaction.
- · Let students make comparison: big, bigger, biggest.
- · Ask them to justify their answers.
- · Provide a wide range of experiences such as taking field trips.
- · Make short instructions, step by step
Concrete Operational Stage
In
teaching this child, giving him the opportunity to ask questions and to explain
his responses allows him to mentally manipulate information.
Some
other ways may be;
- · Continue to ask students to justify their answers.
- · Encourage students to work in groups and exchange thought.
- · Use props and visual aids as well as familiar examples when teaching complex ideas.
- · Involve students in adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, ordering, seriating, and reversing tasks.
- · Create activities that require conservation.
Formal Operational
Teaching for the adolescent may be wide
ranging because he is be able to consider many possibilities from several
perspectives.
For
example,
- · Give students opportunities to debate and discuss in small groups.
- · Develop projects for students to carry out.
- · Give students opportunities to solve problem and reason scientifically.
- An important implication of Piaget's theory is the adaptation of instruction to the learner's developmental level. The content of instruction needs to be consistent with the developmental level of the learner
No comments:
Post a Comment