Cognitive Development
• Occur between 6-12 years
• Patterns and habits established
1. Piaget’s Theory: concrete operational stage
• This stage spans ages 7-11 and signifies stage in which children start using
mental operations to solve problems and to reason.
• Make thinking more systematic and powerful
• Mental operations = addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
• They understand objects may belong to more than one category
• Reversibility is the understanding that both physical actions and mental
operations may be reversed.
• Ability to understand hierarchies of classes reset thinking in different ways
about relationships (a is larger than b and b is smaller than a)
• Reversible mental operations allow concrete operational children to perform
the conservation tasks
• If children only understand one type of conservation without transferring
knowledge = horizontal decalage.
• Concrete operational thinking more powerful than preoperational thinking
Academic Achievement
School Readiness
• Middle childhood = devoted to formal education
• Primary school most important transitioning period in child’s life (uniform, school
supplies, going to actual school)
• Children think of themselves as “big kids” who are engaged in serious business of
going to school instead of spending their time playing like “little kids”
• Children who didn’t attend preschool are apprehensive and afraid
• The transition from home or preschool is instilled with emotional + social
adjustments
• Reorganisation of inner life + external behaviour as child moves away from familiar
environment into a different environment
• Values, attitudes + culture of child shape the way the child adapts to new
environment
• Dimensions of school readiness involve 3 factors!!!
1. Children’s readiness for school
Compiled, revised and sold by Bronwyn de Sousa. DO NOT SHARE
, • Certain level of physical, cognitive, social + emotional maturity to meet
demand of formal schooling
• Sensory/perceptual/motor skills form a foundation for reading and writing
• Cognitive skills such as language and verbal communication skills and literacy
are NB attributes
• Aspects in social and emotional domain include following classroom rules and
procedures, keep focused, adequate social relationships + social behaviour
• Attitudes towards learning such as task
persistence/creativity/initiative/curiosity and problem solving are NB for
school readiness
• Moral development and appreciation of diversity
• These skills embrace interrelationships between skills and behaviours across
domains of development and learning
2. Readiness of schools for children
• Defined in terms of school environment that supports a smooth transition for
children into primary school and thus advances learning
• This implies creating continuity between learning and schooling environment
such as supplying quality teaching, sufficient time devoted to learning,
pedagogic practices and teachers’ competence
• Ready schools bridge the cultural divide between home and school cultures.
• Divide greatest for children whose first language is different to the school
language
• Ready schools are child centred and focus on characteristics are most
beneficial for holistic development
• Promote social learning environment where the relationship between
children and teachers is critical for development of social/physical/ethical
competencies.
• Apply early childhood developments of the country
3. Readiness of families for school
• Focus here is on attitudes of parents and caregivers + their involvement in
their children’s early learning and development and transition to school.
• Supportive parenting + stimulating home environments have been shown to
be strongest predictors of school performance during primary school and
beyond.
• Learning activities such as singing, reading books, playing games (ready
families)
in south Africa, there is a high failure rate indicating unreadiness
children from low social economic environments are particularly at risk because of little
time spend on numeracy and literacy.
☺ school readiness lays the foundation for positive school performance
Helps children realise their potential
Route out of poverty and become successful
Compiled, revised and sold by Bronwyn de Sousa. DO NOT SHARE
• Occur between 6-12 years
• Patterns and habits established
1. Piaget’s Theory: concrete operational stage
• This stage spans ages 7-11 and signifies stage in which children start using
mental operations to solve problems and to reason.
• Make thinking more systematic and powerful
• Mental operations = addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
• They understand objects may belong to more than one category
• Reversibility is the understanding that both physical actions and mental
operations may be reversed.
• Ability to understand hierarchies of classes reset thinking in different ways
about relationships (a is larger than b and b is smaller than a)
• Reversible mental operations allow concrete operational children to perform
the conservation tasks
• If children only understand one type of conservation without transferring
knowledge = horizontal decalage.
• Concrete operational thinking more powerful than preoperational thinking
Academic Achievement
School Readiness
• Middle childhood = devoted to formal education
• Primary school most important transitioning period in child’s life (uniform, school
supplies, going to actual school)
• Children think of themselves as “big kids” who are engaged in serious business of
going to school instead of spending their time playing like “little kids”
• Children who didn’t attend preschool are apprehensive and afraid
• The transition from home or preschool is instilled with emotional + social
adjustments
• Reorganisation of inner life + external behaviour as child moves away from familiar
environment into a different environment
• Values, attitudes + culture of child shape the way the child adapts to new
environment
• Dimensions of school readiness involve 3 factors!!!
1. Children’s readiness for school
Compiled, revised and sold by Bronwyn de Sousa. DO NOT SHARE
, • Certain level of physical, cognitive, social + emotional maturity to meet
demand of formal schooling
• Sensory/perceptual/motor skills form a foundation for reading and writing
• Cognitive skills such as language and verbal communication skills and literacy
are NB attributes
• Aspects in social and emotional domain include following classroom rules and
procedures, keep focused, adequate social relationships + social behaviour
• Attitudes towards learning such as task
persistence/creativity/initiative/curiosity and problem solving are NB for
school readiness
• Moral development and appreciation of diversity
• These skills embrace interrelationships between skills and behaviours across
domains of development and learning
2. Readiness of schools for children
• Defined in terms of school environment that supports a smooth transition for
children into primary school and thus advances learning
• This implies creating continuity between learning and schooling environment
such as supplying quality teaching, sufficient time devoted to learning,
pedagogic practices and teachers’ competence
• Ready schools bridge the cultural divide between home and school cultures.
• Divide greatest for children whose first language is different to the school
language
• Ready schools are child centred and focus on characteristics are most
beneficial for holistic development
• Promote social learning environment where the relationship between
children and teachers is critical for development of social/physical/ethical
competencies.
• Apply early childhood developments of the country
3. Readiness of families for school
• Focus here is on attitudes of parents and caregivers + their involvement in
their children’s early learning and development and transition to school.
• Supportive parenting + stimulating home environments have been shown to
be strongest predictors of school performance during primary school and
beyond.
• Learning activities such as singing, reading books, playing games (ready
families)
in south Africa, there is a high failure rate indicating unreadiness
children from low social economic environments are particularly at risk because of little
time spend on numeracy and literacy.
☺ school readiness lays the foundation for positive school performance
Helps children realise their potential
Route out of poverty and become successful
Compiled, revised and sold by Bronwyn de Sousa. DO NOT SHARE
