Tamaryn Claassen
Student number: 53785223
EDS3701
Unique number: 717009
Primary lecturer: Dr SM Danke
, a) What are the basic principles of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?
Piaget believed that there are four stages of cognitive development, namely the
sensory-motor stage, the pre-operational stage, the concrete operational stage and the
formal operational stage. Piaget also noted that only once one has gone through all
stages, at whatever age, we are able to reach full human intelligence.
Piaget studies the intelligence of different aged students by means of standardised
tests and came to his conclusion that not all children learn in the same way or at the
same time. He realised that the development of a child is very specific to the
individual and that not every child is the same.
b) Explain why Piaget’s work has been important for people working with children and
young people.
Piaget’s work provides a guideline for how a child thinks and views the world within
a specific age group. When working with children one notices that the ages that Piaget
has divided his stages into has given incredible insight into the development of
children in everyday life. When observing 2 year olds, they battled to follow
instructions and enjoyed using their senses during the learning process. Children this
age also liked to learn from trial and error. These students also liked to be very hands
on, therefore letting them explore was best for their development.
As children grow older and are able to reason, they rely more on the adult in the
room. They become less ego centric and realise that the people around them also have
much to offer in terms of their learning process.
c) How did Piaget redefine knowledge, education, teaching and learning?
Until Piaget came along, most people just expected kids to soak up knowledge. When
Piaget began studying how children learn, understand, and remember based on his
conversations with children and his daily interactions with them, his discoveries
changed the attitudes of educators and their approaches to subject matter. Piaget gave
contributions to our understanding of pedagogy focuses on cognitive development
and how we learn, absorb, process and internalise facts. Thus, his psychological
contribution into the area of learning and education is absorbed crucially and has
helped shaped the educational models that we have un today’s society.
I think Piaget’s biggest claim in the area of psychological and therefore educational
change was his focus on children in the early childhood stages. Before Piaget, most
psychologists were in the habit of studying children who were old enough to answer
questions. Piaget suggested that behavioural patterns begin in the brain, and children
can think before they can speak. His study focused on infants and very young
children (namely, his own at first).
Next, Piaget began to shift away from a focus on environmental factors as the
motivators for behaviour. He identified essentially four stages of cognitive
development that he suggested every human goes through, and provided approximate
time frames for each. Through these stages of cognitive development teachers of
early childhood (and parents of infants) were able to approach learning, discipline,
and communication in a completely different way.
Student number: 53785223
EDS3701
Unique number: 717009
Primary lecturer: Dr SM Danke
, a) What are the basic principles of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?
Piaget believed that there are four stages of cognitive development, namely the
sensory-motor stage, the pre-operational stage, the concrete operational stage and the
formal operational stage. Piaget also noted that only once one has gone through all
stages, at whatever age, we are able to reach full human intelligence.
Piaget studies the intelligence of different aged students by means of standardised
tests and came to his conclusion that not all children learn in the same way or at the
same time. He realised that the development of a child is very specific to the
individual and that not every child is the same.
b) Explain why Piaget’s work has been important for people working with children and
young people.
Piaget’s work provides a guideline for how a child thinks and views the world within
a specific age group. When working with children one notices that the ages that Piaget
has divided his stages into has given incredible insight into the development of
children in everyday life. When observing 2 year olds, they battled to follow
instructions and enjoyed using their senses during the learning process. Children this
age also liked to learn from trial and error. These students also liked to be very hands
on, therefore letting them explore was best for their development.
As children grow older and are able to reason, they rely more on the adult in the
room. They become less ego centric and realise that the people around them also have
much to offer in terms of their learning process.
c) How did Piaget redefine knowledge, education, teaching and learning?
Until Piaget came along, most people just expected kids to soak up knowledge. When
Piaget began studying how children learn, understand, and remember based on his
conversations with children and his daily interactions with them, his discoveries
changed the attitudes of educators and their approaches to subject matter. Piaget gave
contributions to our understanding of pedagogy focuses on cognitive development
and how we learn, absorb, process and internalise facts. Thus, his psychological
contribution into the area of learning and education is absorbed crucially and has
helped shaped the educational models that we have un today’s society.
I think Piaget’s biggest claim in the area of psychological and therefore educational
change was his focus on children in the early childhood stages. Before Piaget, most
psychologists were in the habit of studying children who were old enough to answer
questions. Piaget suggested that behavioural patterns begin in the brain, and children
can think before they can speak. His study focused on infants and very young
children (namely, his own at first).
Next, Piaget began to shift away from a focus on environmental factors as the
motivators for behaviour. He identified essentially four stages of cognitive
development that he suggested every human goes through, and provided approximate
time frames for each. Through these stages of cognitive development teachers of
early childhood (and parents of infants) were able to approach learning, discipline,
and communication in a completely different way.
