Piaget

Definition

Swiss biologist and psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) is renowned for constructing a highly influential model of child development and learning. Piaget’s theory is based on the idea that the developing child builds cognitive structures–in other words, mental “maps,” schemes, or networked concepts for understanding and responding to physical experiences within his or her environment. Piaget further attested that a child’s cognitive structure increases in sophistication with development, moving from a few innate reflexes such as crying and sucking to highly complex mental activities.

Discussion

Piaget’s theory identifies four developmental stages and the processes by which children progress through them. The four stages are:

  1. Sensorimotor stage (birth - 2 years old)–The child, through physical interaction with his or her environment, builds a set of concepts about reality and how it works. This is the stage where a child does not know that physical objects remain in existence even when out of sight (object permanance).
  2. Preoperational stage (ages 2-7)–The child is not yet able to conceptualize abstractly and needs concrete physical situations.
  3. Concrete operations (ages 7-11)–As physical experience accumulates, the child starts to conceptualize, creating logical structures that explain his or her physical experiences. Abstract problem solving is also possible at this stage. For example, arithmetic equations can be solved with numbers, not just with objects.
  4. Formal operations (beginning at ages 11-15)–By this point, the child’s cognitive structures are like those of an adult and include conceptual reasoning.

Piaget outlined several principles for building cognitive structures. During all development stages, the child experiences his or her environment using whatever mental maps he or she has constructed so far. If the experience is a repeated one, it fits easily–or is assimilated–into the child’s cognitive structure so that he or she maintains mental “equilibrium.” If the experience is different or new, the child loses equilibrium, and alters his or her cognitive structure to accommodate the new conditions. This way, the child erects more and more adequate cognitive structures.

How Piaget’s Theory Impacts Learning

Curriculum–Educators must plan a developmentally appropriate curriculum that enhances their students’ logical and conceptual growth.

Instruction–Teachers must emphasize the critical role that experiences–or interactions with the surrounding environment–play in student learning. For example, instructors have to take into account the role that fundamental concepts, such as the permanence of objects, play in establishing cognitive structures.

The content on this page was written by On Purpose Associates.

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  1. A Teacher of American Samoa posted the following on June 26, 2009 at 6:00 pm.

    Very intelligent, wtih the application of teachers within classrooms it is the excat way as Jean Piaget has studied. It is just a remind of me as a teacher to teach the student until they balance what they have learned and what they have experience as a great opportunity for learning as mental ability to absorb knowledge.

  2. Thea Trefethen posted the following on June 24, 2009 at 8:07 pm.

    As a pre-k teacher, I have observed a variety of children during their preoperational stage of development. Considering Piaget’s theories while planning for their math and science experiments has lead to great success for the children in my classrooms.

  3. Matt Brown posted the following on June 20, 2009 at 11:48 am.

    A criticism I have on Piagets theory is its individuality. Although I learn best on my own, in my own way, but sometimes students are grouped or paired. Sometimes students can be more efficient in a certain activity if they are more socially interactive per the zone of proximal development.

  4. liz posted the following on June 11, 2009 at 4:10 am.

    can anyone tell me how piaget’s theory affects play?because im studying play in child development and have been asked to outline the theories connecting to play.

  5. Zeline posted the following on May 1, 2009 at 4:52 pm.

    how does this go along with H Gardner theory of his eight learning styles?

  6. Jadiie posted the following on May 1, 2009 at 10:30 am.

    This information was a great help!! As im doing a childcare course at college and this information was exactlly was i needed. :)
    Thanks x

  7. Holly Werle posted the following on March 17, 2009 at 12:02 pm.

    Thank you for this information. It gives me a better understanding on my son development and the different stages as children grow , learn and play.

  8. soekyo posted the following on January 26, 2009 at 3:25 pm.

    Jean Piaget is the founder of children psychology.He has a big impact on education curricullum.Teachers all over the world have learned a lot about the theory of Jean Piaget.

  9. Ben Dover posted the following on December 9, 2008 at 5:51 pm.

    Great. Piaget did a wonderful job and so did this website
    :-)

  10. Tim posted the following on December 5, 2008 at 8:08 am.

    Does anybody know of a list of these cognitive structures and which structures are developed at which stages of development?

  11. sam hughes posted the following on November 27, 2008 at 11:34 am.

    hi and i think it is really good…