Cognitive Developmen

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Jean PiagetConstructivism Theory

Following are the ideas:

• Intelligence•Knowledge•Growth of intelligence•Physical environment•Social environment•Maturation•Equilibration

Constructivism•children are active learners, not passive observers•organize their knowledge into schemes•schemes change through–assimilation–accommodation

Stages of Cognitive Development

Sensori-motor Stage• ages birth – 2 years old

• infant uses senses and motor abilities to explore

• first explorations are innate reflexes• goal-directed behaviors• object permanence

Substages of Sensori-motor Stage• 4th: (8-12 mo)

– goal directed behavior– object permanence

• 5th: (12-18 mo) – tertiary circular

• 6th: (18-24 mo) – Symbolicrepresentation

Substages of Sensori-motor Stage• 1st: (birth - 1 mo)

– innate reflexes, – circular reactions

• 2nd: (1-4 mo)– primary circular reactions

• 3rd: (4-8 mo)– secondary circular

Preoperational Stage •ages 2-7

•child uses mental representations of objects•play moves from using real objects to more

complex play•child’s thinking is perception-bound,

egocentric, irreversible, centrated, intuitive, animistic

Concrete operations•ages 7-11

•child uses logical operations•ability to

– conserve– think flexibly– seriate– classify with more than 1 attribute and with

hierarchical thinking

Formal operations• ages 12 and up• child uses logical operations in a systematic

fashion• can think abstractly• hypothetico-deductive thinking• propositional thinking

Contributions of Piaget's Theories to

Current Practice•focus on active, hands-on learning•play is important•sensitivity to a child's current level of understanding•acceptance of individual differences

Thank you.