How can one apply JeanPiaget's theory of cognitive development in developing children's literacysk

How can one apply Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development in developing children’s literacy skills?

Jean Piaget:

, was one of the in the area of developmental psychology. originally trained in the areas of zoology and psychiatry. He believed that what distinguishes human beings from other animals is our ability to do "abstract symbolic reasoning." And our ability to think and make decisions intelligently

He believed, “Intelligence is defined as individual’s ability to adapt to and cope with what ever environment the individual lives in”.

Piaget became interested in how children think. He noticed that young children's answers were qualitatively different than older children, which suggested to him that the younger ones were not dumber (a quantitative position since as they got older and experienced they would get smarter) but, instead, answered the questions differently than their older peers because they thought differently. Their thoughts have not yet been affected and polluted by the environment.

He said, “The human metal growth (or cognitive development) is the inevitable out come of the infant’s interaction with the physical world”.

His view of how children's minds work and develop has been enormously influential, particularly in educational theory. While growing up the children's capacity to understand their world is increased. They cannot undertake certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough to do so.

He proposed that children's thinking does not develop entirely smoothly: instead, there are certain points at which it "takes off" and moves into completely new areas and capabilities. He saw these transitions as taking place at about 18 months, 7 years and 11 or 12 years. This has been taken to mean that before these ages children are not capable (no matter how bright) of understanding things in certain ways, and has been used as the basis for scheduling the school curriculum.

The stages of Development

Sensory motor period (birth to two years)

(0-2 months) Integrates various senses impressions into percepts

He can attach the smell of her mother, to the touch of her skin and her face and make the connection

(2-4 months) This stage is characterized by "mere mechanical responses to outside stimuli"

The child is not aware of the unity of his own body, there is no connection between the environment and himself. He cannot distinguish between himself and the outside world

Sheema Sheikh Page 1

5/6/2007

(4-6)The infant becomes increasingly more interested in his environment. Actions are ...

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The stages of Development

Sensory motor period (birth to two years)

(0-2 months) Integrates various senses impressions into percepts

He can attach the smell of her mother, to the touch of her skin and her face and make the connection

(2-4 months) This stage is characterized by "mere mechanical responses to outside stimuli"

The child is not aware of the unity of his own body, there is no connection between the environment and himself. He cannot distinguish between himself and the outside world

Sheema Sheikh Page 1

5/6/2007

(4-6)The infant becomes increasingly more interested in his environment. Actions are now deliberately repeated;

Grabbing toys and putting them in his mouth. The baby is able to recognize objects - a rattle - as ones that he can shake.

(6-8 months) The infant's behavior assumes a more purposeful and deliberate, co-ordinate flavor as this time coincides with the onset of crawling and his whole world enlarges. He is not, however, capable of understanding and searching out hidden objects.

Object permanence is developing, in that he is able to anticipate in play; i.e. the peck a boo game.

(8-12 months) Child understands that a person or object will continue to exist even when it is not able to be seen.

Mental representations are a key concept in this theory and linked to ‘object constancy'. The baby explores its rich environment and actively interacts with novel situations, objects and events using trial and error to solve problems.

(12-18 months) the child will search for something he hasn’t seem hidden.

The child knows that when “I” close my eyes I can’t see mommy and when “she” closes her eyes she can’t see me.

(18-24 months) The baby is now able to mentally represent himself. He is able to invent his own play activity and play becomes the most important learning realm.

With his toys, he uses symbolic representation to transform objects. Cognition at this stage moves beyond mere sensory motor towards preconception thought and the genesis of early language, transforming cognitive activity. Here, the youngster is constructing and recording experiences from a language framework, rather than an action base.

Pre-operational stage: (2-6 years)
The preoperational child is much more capable of understanding his world but markedly different to adults in terms of efficiency. Preconception thinking:

(2-4 years)
This stage is characterized by a lack of ability to classify and regards similar objects as though they are identical in a type of muddled categorization;

I.e. all men must be 'Daddy', all animals are 'doggies', all toys are his, one pile of green beads has more than another pile of non-green beads. The pre concepts child cannot discriminate between oranges and apples for instance but has a hunger to constantly ask 'what is that?'

Child talks about objects without having to manipulate them directly, language allows the child to think of past events and anticipate their happenings.

(4-6 years)
Thinking has become more logical and perception plays a striking role now.

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5/6/2007

Piaget's experiments for Conservation indicate the child is able to be easily tricked by dominant and immediate perceptions. Self-centered understanding dominates the thinking in the intuitive child who is unable to understand the point of view of others. The child thinks of himself as the center of universe. Dominant question is 'why?'

Conservation of quantity: is a difficult concept for a child to grasp.

If you put the same amount of water in 2 glasses and put one of them higher the child will think the one that is higher has more water. Or the bigger plate has more food.

Conservation of length: the perception of objects changes. The taller person would seem bigger to the child

Use concrete props and visual aids to illustrate lessons and help children understand what is being presented
Make instructions relatively short, using actions as well as words, to lessen likelihood that the students will get confused.
Do not expect the students to find it easy to see the world from someone else's perspective since they are likely to be very egocentric at this point.
Give children a great deal of physical practice with the facts and skills that will serve as building blocks for later development
Encourage the manipulation of physical objects that can change in shape while retaining a constant mass, giving the students a chance to move toward the understanding of conservation and two-way logic needed in the next stage.

Stage of concrete Operations: (7-11/12 years)

This is the stage of operational thinking characterized by the child's ability to hold ideas in his head simultaneously as problem-solving is going on.
The child begins to differentiate between self and outside world.
The child starts to understand that other think the way he does.
Child learns role play
The concept of length and quantity is now clear.
Gains ability to influence responses of others and hence better controls the various types of social input.

Continue to give students a chance to manipulate objects and test out their ideas.
Make sure that lectures and readings are brief and well organized.
Ask students to deal with no more than three or four variables at a time.
Use familiar examples to help explain more complex ideas so students will have a beginning point for assimilating new information.
Give opportunities to classify and group objects and ideas on increasingly complex levels.
Present problems which require logical, analytical thinking to solve.

Sheema Sheikh Page 3

5/6/2007

Stage of formal Operations: (11/12- Adulthood)

This stage is characterized by abstract and logical thinking, complex verbal and problem-solving abilities as well as hypothesis formation.
Creates his own theory of knowledge. Adolescent is now able to sift through a knowledge field in a process of combinational analysis.
Can draw meaningful conclusion from purely abstract terms. (Never been to the moon but he can write about it.) Thinking is no longer limited to reality or personal experience.

Continue to use many of the teaching strategies and materials appropriate for students at the concrete operational stage.
Give students an opportunity to explore many hypothetical questions.
Encourage students to explain how they solve problems.
Whenever possible, teach broad concepts, not just facts, using materials and ideas relevant to the students.