Jean Piaget was the first psychologist that studies the cognitive theory and his theory has a strong influence today. What's Piagets theory. Gonzalez-Mena (2011) explains, "According to Piaget's theory, children create knowledge and develop their reasoning skills through discussion with people and environment as they seek to understand the earth" (p23). The children need the first hands learning and experience than pay attention to a teacher. Imagination and pretending taking part in are the most crucial aspects in child development.
According to Bergin (2011), Piaget presumed if we want to understand children's cognitive development, we can not only watch what they do but we should investigate why children do and think like that. Then, Piaget thought that assimilation process also including in learning. Assimilation means the procedure when children get experience into existing plans such as conception, thought or image. For instance, when a tutor asks her students what 'isolated' means and students will answer it based on their knowledge of the word snow. After that, the process of accommodation happens to conform new experience and the educator will help the youngsters to accommodate their scheme of isolated.
Santrock (2011) described, the cognitive development has four levels such as sensorimotor stage, preoperational level, concrete operational level and formal operational level. The first level is Sensorimotor stage when the babies at years around two commence to observe the entire world through grasping, sucking and touching. The infants will learn the symbolic thought for illustrations they ought to know what like mama and apple are symbolize the things. In addition they can imitate actions that they observed in past such as placing their gadgets in container or giving the dolls food. Then the preoperational stage about ages 2 to 7 is when the kids learn to use more words and images that increase their symbolic thinking. On this stage they cannot think logically yet. The 3rd level is the concrete operational stage about age ranges 7 t0 11. In this stage, the children can think logically, collecting and classifying things into different packages like stamps or marbles. The last level is the formal functional stage at age group 12 and more mature. In this level, the kids can think more abstract and reasonable ways. They'll take into account the ideal friends are like and start to compare things. They also can solve their problems with more systematic and think why something is happening.
Then, we will discuss how this theory can be applied in child development. Piaget performed the study how children in various age ranges developed their thinking about the world and exactly how they apply their capabilities in child development. Matching to W. Santrock (2011) the sensorimotor level at age about 2 has into six sub stages such as simple reflexes, first practices and primary circular reactions, secondary circular, coordination of supplementary circular, tertiary circular effect, novelty and attention and internalization of schemes. The simple reflex is at age birth to 1 1 month. The kids will apply the idea in their development. For example, the children can begin sucking a mother's nipple or container and they only will suck if we place the bottles straight in the baby's mouth area. After a couple of days, they can initiate the action and they might suck a container that close to them. Another stage is first habits and primary round reactions at get older 1 to 4 weeks. At this time the infants commence to suck everything such as their fingers. The secondary reaction reaches 4 to 8 weeks. The infant can imitate simple activities when they already are able to produce such as baby discussion or physical gestures. Then, the coordination of secondary circular reactions at era 8 to twelve months. The infants can combine the prior learned techniques, learn new activities such as they will take a look at an object and get it and they also can play with the thing. In addition they can look ahead the object that hidden of their sight. The tertiary round reaction when infants at age 12 to 18 months can made a block or objects fall, hit the another object or find out more new things around them. Last but not least, the final stage is internalization of plans at age ranges 18 to two years when the baby can use a symbol to improve and manipulate the happenings in easy ways. For instance, in test, Piaget's princess will start and close her mouth area when she observed a matchbox opened up and shut down.
According to Bergin (2011) the children will apply the idea in their development at preoperational level. The preoperational means the kids in this stage cannot pondering logically yet and there are four cognitive deficits in this level that are animism, hierarchical classification, egocentrism and conservation. Animism means the items are lifelike attributes like the children will think the cars are brilliant because the legend or sun is following them. Hierarchical classification happens when children classify the things into categories. For instance, a kitty is a kitty rather than all felines are kitty. The kids in this level have trouble to classify items in a hierarchy, for example, they think all kitties are pet cats and her mom is not really a woman but her mommy. Next, the egocentrism is the children make an effort to give their point of view and think other people also think like that. Including the three mountain process whenever a child is given a three-dimensional model of three mountains that contain different objects onto it. Then your child gives different pictures and select the pictures that the doll perceives however the children will choose the picture that he recognizes not the doll sees. The kids in this level will show perspective skills on jobs however, not others. Conservation is the items have fixed mass, number and volume. For example, when an apple is cut into two, the children will say the apple is big and even more.
Next is the concrete functional stage. In this stage, the children apply this theory more than other levels. W. Santrock (2011) points out the kids become well in reasonable reasoning like the kid understands the quantity object is actually fix and understand the associations between families relating to family tree. They also can understand the world more objectively, for example if they're collecting the stamps, they'll separate the stamps into certain categories and themes or templates. Besides, they learn how to use the full address and sent letter to everyone they want. In this level, they can complete the bottle and mountain jobs. For instance in bottle task, a picture of an bottle and liquid at the bottom and three others bottles are provided to the child. The effect is, the child can draw water would be in the next three containers. In mountain jobs, the child is able to attract people, house and hill. Then, for formal functional stage, the child will think more logic and abstract ways. They will think about their future and solve their own problems systematic. The formal operation thought is important because the children will understand knowledge and mathematics themes for example in handled experiment, they ought to know how to think reasoning and in algebra, the adjustable x is employed for many statistics.
Piaget's theory broadly applied in children education and there are several college based on this theory. How the theory can be applied children in preschool and principal levels? Constructivist teaching is a third legacy from Piaget's theory that widely applied in children education. Bergin (2011) talks about constructivist teaching means an approach to instruction when professors give experiences and have questions. According to W. Santrock (2011), the best way to learn is when the children are active and discover the alternatives themselves. For example in preschool, students will discover, discuss and reveal in all content by themselves rather than listen to their teacher. Children at preoperational stage have many ideas and their ideas will vary from individuals. The instructor should conversing less, hearing more and asking question than offering the answers. So, the children will think and find out the answers. When professor asks questions, they will revise their schemas and prior knowledge. Besides, the tutor should encourage students to answer the questions although their answers can be wrong or right. Teachers should ask more questions or give experience, so they can correct and search their own blunders. Then, the kids will consult with each other and also have their own finish. Because of this, they will know one another well and build a good relationship.
Children in preschool and key level are the effective learners. Children in preschool at preoperational stage interested in experiments, playing and available learning activities such as pulling about their pursuits. Gonzalez-Mena (2011) explains, play is important medium for learning. When preschool students play, they'll interact with environment and people. They will enjoy the games and learn how to expose themselves to the globe.
For primary schools students at concrete level, they learn how to make outfits, write the scripts and involve in parts. They'll gain physical, emotional and communal skills. Students at this stage are able to see things from others perspective and realize that things are not always as they look. Then, using play as learning activity in primary levels can build knowledge and help the students manage themselves. The instructor should support learning through play by observing what they do, interact with them and have them to include their own idea.
"Strategy development grows up out of abundant play as the kids use their own creative and opportunities to look at important issues. What they learn and how they learn depends upon age the child. In play, children of most age groups can increase knowledge and skills by using manipulative materials and by discovering creative activities. Such activities and materials can help school-age children learn the ideas that are part of curriculum framework. "
(Gonzalez- Mena 2011, p92-94)
Students in this stage will practice how to classifying things and ideas on sophisticated level. W. Santrock clarifies, the workbooks and assignments are not utilization in college that practice the Piaget's theory. In Mathematic school, the students will play interesting game titles like keeping track of the day's lunch break money or chocolates. They'll learn how to split or multiple the amounts.
According to Piaget, children should learn in a natural way and not stress them too much in their development. Learn and play by natural means is important in children development and important way to find out about world around them. The children will progress through 4 phases that happen to be sensorimotor stage, preoperational level, concrete stage and formal operational stage. Children also learn through assimilation and accommodation. Many teachers use Piaget's theory in their coaching and curriculums to be able to produce learn through experience and hands on learning. There are lots of practical applications that people can use and created from Piaget's theory. This theory not only centers how children acquire knowledge but how we understand the nature of cleverness.
