Piaget

note: when you click on the image it becomes clearer!

Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget

Piaget was a bit of a revolutionary, in that he was the first psychologist to say that children do not think like adults. Children are not empty vessels to be filled with adult knowledge, rather they construct their own meanings when they are presented with new information by relating this new information back to what they already know. Children have systems of organising what they know called schema.

Piaget identified 4 stages of development from birth through to adolescence. Not all adults fully achieve the 4th stage. The above diagram names the 4 stages, and appropriate learning styles for children in each of these stages. For some reason this diagram calls the 2nd stage the 'presentational stage:, where I am familiar with it is the "pre-ioperational stage". It is interesting to note on this diagram the horizontal line that describes the change from egocentric behaviour in the early stage, characterised by self talk that is spoken aloud, to internalised reflection.

My reflection:

Piaget's theory is based on his observations, and I can say that I have observed similar things. For instance, my 18 year old nephew has achieved understanding object permanency, which is an indicator that he is nearing the end of the sensorimotor stage. My nephew is experimenting with language, and it seems like every day he learns a new one. The development of language is a major part of the pre-operational stage. Magnus is at the right age to be transitioning from the 1st to the 2nd stage, so I am watching him as he progresses through Piaget's stages.

It seems quite normal to me that children do not think like adults and that as they grow up they learn new skills and are able to develop more sophisticated ways of thinking. However I have grown up in a world that has been influenced by Piaget's thinking ever since I started school.

I think the main point to take away from Piaget is that while it may seem obvious, teachers need to be aware of the stages that children go through in their development. In this way, if a teacher sees a child who may not have progressed through a particular stage, the teacher can recognise this and work out a way to help the child.

Also understanding how children develop. We all know that an 8 year old cannot write an essay about world war 2 in the way that an HSC student can, but knowing why, and what level of sophistication you can expect at different ages, and how to meet your students needs as they develop is vital.