Week One- Piaget

This weeks concept was centered on Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development.   Though I have researched and studied this topic in the past, I enjoyed getting the opportunity to re-visit the topic.  Piaget's theory is based on the idea that their are four domains for cognitive thought process that are based on age.  The stages are as follows: sensorimotor (birth-2), preoperational (2-7), concrete operational (7-11), and formal operational (11- adult) (Slavin, 2015).  Each of these stages have different characteristics that describe the way people think and are able to analyze new concepts.  I currently teach Pre-Kindergarten, and I can see how my students have moved away from the sensorimotor stage to the preoperational stage.  Unlike babies who primarily use touch to explore their surroundings, Pre-K students can use previous experiences and memories to analyze situations.  The are different from older students in the concrete and formal operational stages in that they are unable to efficiently analyze abstract concepts.  According to the text, Educational Psychology: Theory in Practice (2012), Piaget’s theories have influenced teacher to focus on self-initiated tasks and active involvement; acceptance of individual thought process; and the importance of a child’s thought process instead of teaching children how to think like adults. For the aforementioned reasons, it is imperative that teachers be prepared to have student-centered and interactive lessons planned when teaching a new concept or skill.  When I teach, I always try to think in the terms of my students.  I often will talk aloud when modeling concepts and use child friendly-language and thought solutions during instruction.  Another strategy that I put into place is consistently using hands-on activities and technology during my instruction.  This guarantees that my students will remain engaged in the material and can better grasp the information because they are interacting with it.
  In their article, Explaining Student Cognition During Class Sessions in the Context Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, authors J.C. Ewing, D.D. Foster, and M.S. Whittington discuss the teacher's role in students' cognitive development, "Piaget further theorized that teachers had little impact on the maturation influence, but teachers, through the active experience influence, provided exploration, observation, testing, and information organization, all of which were likely to alter thinking processes. In addition, Piaget felt that teachers would impact the social transmission influence (i.e. learning from others) depending on the stage of cognitive development the student had already reached when entering a classroom relationship with the instructor" (Ewing, 69).  I completely agree with Piaget's beliefs on the teachers role.  In my own classroom, I hope to create an environment in which students are able to be positively influenced through a relationship with me.


References:

Ewing, J. C., Foster, D. D., & Whittington, M. S. (2011). Explaining student cognition during class sessions in the context piaget's theory of cognitive development. NACTA Journal, 55(1), 68-75. Retrieved from http://library.valdosta.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/864043581?accountid=14800

Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. New Jersey: Pearson.