Critically consider practical applications of two theories of cognitive development.

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Critically consider practical applications of two theories of cognitive development (24 marks)

Due to the nature of his theory, applying Piaget’s theory to education is based around the teacher recognizing the child’s current stage of cognitive development. An example of this method is, whilst a child is in the sensorimotor stage, the teachers should provide children with a rich and stimulating environment and toys the child can play with. When the child reaches the concrete operational stage, however, learning activities should involve problems of classification, ordering, location, and conservation using concrete objects.

  The main principles when applying Piaget’s theory to education are as follows:

  • Children will provide different explanations of reality at different stages of cognitive development (this encompasses the effect of egocentrism)
  • Cognitive development is facilitated by providing activities which interest the learner and require adaptation
  • Activities and materials used to help children learn must be at the correct level of mental and physical operation for the child’s age.
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  Therefore Piaget’s theory has three main implications for education, the concept of readiness, curriculum and teaching methods. Readiness is related to the limits set on learning by the child’s current stage of development. The Piagetian curriculum would include logic, maths, science and space. The view on how teachers should teach each subject is by using teaching materials that consist of concrete objects that children can easily manipulate.

  In contrast to the main view on the Piagetian curriculum, Ginsberg (1981) argues that basing a curriculum on the teaching of Piaget’s stages is a misapplication of his theory. He believed ...

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