HOPEACADEMY
HED4813
ASSESSMENT 02
DUE DATE :9 September 2025,
2025
HED4813 ASSESSMENT 02/ 2025
Unique Number: 147511
Closing date: 9 September 2025, 11:00 PM
Question 1
Critically discuss how Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development—sensorimotor,
preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational—affect a child’s learning
experience, with a particular focus on mathematics education.
0 7 6 4 0 3 1 2 2 9
,HED4813 ASSESSMENT 02/ 2025
Unique Number: 147511
Closing date: Tuesday, 9 September 2025, 11:00 PM
Question 1
Critically discuss how Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development—
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational—
affect a child’s learning experience, with a particular focus on mathematics
education.
In your essay, you should:
1. Explain each stage of Piaget’s cognitive development theory, including the
age range and key characteristics.
2. Analyze how each stage influences a child’s ability to understand and engage
with mathematical concepts.
3. Provide practical examples of teaching strategies or classroom activities that
align with each developmental stage.
4. Reflect on the implications of Piaget’s theory for curriculum design and
differentiated instruction in the South African educational context.
Introduction
Jean Piaget is one of the most important thinkers in education. He studied how
children grow and how their thinking changes as they develop. His theory of
cognitive development explains that children go through four main stages: the
sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage,
and the formal operational stage. Each stage has its own way of thinking, and
this affects how children learn, including how they learn mathematics.
In this essay, I will explain each stage of Piaget’s theory, including the age range
and main characteristics. I will also discuss how each stage influences children’s
ability to understand mathematics. I will give examples of teaching strategies
that match each stage, and I will reflect on the implications of Piaget’s theory
for curriculum design and differentiated instruction in South Africa.
Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development
, Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 years)
The sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth to about two years of age, is the
first stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. During this period,
babies begin to understand the world through their senses and physical
actions. They learn by touching, looking, hearing, tasting, and moving, and
these experiences help them make sense of their surroundings (Piaget, 1952).
At the beginning of this stage, infants do not understand that objects continue
to exist when they are out of sight. Over time, however, they develop what
Piaget (1952) called object permanence, the understanding that things still
exist even when they cannot be seen. This marks a major cognitive milestone
because it shows the beginning of mental representation. Another important
feature of this stage is that infants lack symbolic thinking at first, meaning they
cannot yet use words or images to represent objects (Donald, Lazarus, &
Lolwana, 2010). As they grow, they begin to solve simple problems through
trial and error, such as figuring out how to reach for a toy that is just out of
their grasp. The sensorimotor stage therefore lays the foundation for later
learning by helping children develop basic cognitive skills through direct
interaction with their environment (Woolfolk, 2016).
Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 years)
The preoperational stage takes place between the ages of two and seven.
During this stage, children start to use symbols, language, and images to
represent objects and experiences (Piaget, 1972). They engage in pretend play
and enjoy using their imagination, which shows the beginning of symbolic
thinking. However, their thinking is still limited in several ways. Children at this
stage are often egocentric, meaning they find it difficult to see things from
another person’s point of view (Woolfolk, 2016). They also show centration,
which means they tend to focus on one aspect of a situation while ignoring
others. For example, when water is poured into a taller glass, they may think
there is more water simply because the glass looks fuller, even though the
quantity has not changed. This shows that they have not yet developed the
concept of conservation (Piaget, 1952). Although their reasoning is not yet
logical in the adult sense, this stage is important because children begin to
develop language, symbolic play, and early problem-solving skills that prepare
them for more advanced learning (Donald et al., 2010).
Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years)
HED4813
ASSESSMENT 02
DUE DATE :9 September 2025,
2025
HED4813 ASSESSMENT 02/ 2025
Unique Number: 147511
Closing date: 9 September 2025, 11:00 PM
Question 1
Critically discuss how Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development—sensorimotor,
preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational—affect a child’s learning
experience, with a particular focus on mathematics education.
0 7 6 4 0 3 1 2 2 9
,HED4813 ASSESSMENT 02/ 2025
Unique Number: 147511
Closing date: Tuesday, 9 September 2025, 11:00 PM
Question 1
Critically discuss how Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development—
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational—
affect a child’s learning experience, with a particular focus on mathematics
education.
In your essay, you should:
1. Explain each stage of Piaget’s cognitive development theory, including the
age range and key characteristics.
2. Analyze how each stage influences a child’s ability to understand and engage
with mathematical concepts.
3. Provide practical examples of teaching strategies or classroom activities that
align with each developmental stage.
4. Reflect on the implications of Piaget’s theory for curriculum design and
differentiated instruction in the South African educational context.
Introduction
Jean Piaget is one of the most important thinkers in education. He studied how
children grow and how their thinking changes as they develop. His theory of
cognitive development explains that children go through four main stages: the
sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage,
and the formal operational stage. Each stage has its own way of thinking, and
this affects how children learn, including how they learn mathematics.
In this essay, I will explain each stage of Piaget’s theory, including the age range
and main characteristics. I will also discuss how each stage influences children’s
ability to understand mathematics. I will give examples of teaching strategies
that match each stage, and I will reflect on the implications of Piaget’s theory
for curriculum design and differentiated instruction in South Africa.
Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development
, Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 years)
The sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth to about two years of age, is the
first stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. During this period,
babies begin to understand the world through their senses and physical
actions. They learn by touching, looking, hearing, tasting, and moving, and
these experiences help them make sense of their surroundings (Piaget, 1952).
At the beginning of this stage, infants do not understand that objects continue
to exist when they are out of sight. Over time, however, they develop what
Piaget (1952) called object permanence, the understanding that things still
exist even when they cannot be seen. This marks a major cognitive milestone
because it shows the beginning of mental representation. Another important
feature of this stage is that infants lack symbolic thinking at first, meaning they
cannot yet use words or images to represent objects (Donald, Lazarus, &
Lolwana, 2010). As they grow, they begin to solve simple problems through
trial and error, such as figuring out how to reach for a toy that is just out of
their grasp. The sensorimotor stage therefore lays the foundation for later
learning by helping children develop basic cognitive skills through direct
interaction with their environment (Woolfolk, 2016).
Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 years)
The preoperational stage takes place between the ages of two and seven.
During this stage, children start to use symbols, language, and images to
represent objects and experiences (Piaget, 1972). They engage in pretend play
and enjoy using their imagination, which shows the beginning of symbolic
thinking. However, their thinking is still limited in several ways. Children at this
stage are often egocentric, meaning they find it difficult to see things from
another person’s point of view (Woolfolk, 2016). They also show centration,
which means they tend to focus on one aspect of a situation while ignoring
others. For example, when water is poured into a taller glass, they may think
there is more water simply because the glass looks fuller, even though the
quantity has not changed. This shows that they have not yet developed the
concept of conservation (Piaget, 1952). Although their reasoning is not yet
logical in the adult sense, this stage is important because children begin to
develop language, symbolic play, and early problem-solving skills that prepare
them for more advanced learning (Donald et al., 2010).
Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years)
