Process of learning - Piaget

Role of schemas

as we construct more developed schemas, we understand more about the world

What are schemas?

mental representations of the world we live in

What did Piaget think motivated children to learn?

being in a state of disequilibrium

What did Piaget think about motivation and learning?

inbuilt motivation to learn
we want to change how we think when our existing schema doesn’t match new info

What is another word for being confused or puzzled?

disequilibrium

What is equilibrium?

when a child’s schema can deal with new info

What is disequilibrium?

unpleasant state of cognitive imbalance

What is equilibration?

process of changing schema by moving from disequilibrium to equilibrium

What is assimilation?

adding new info to existing schema

What is accommodation?

radically changing existing schema or forming new schema

What is the evidence for the role of disequilibrium?

Howe (1992)

Howe (1992) method

groups of 9-12 year olds
tested on current understanding of how objects move down slopes
put in groups based on their understandings being different or similar

Howe (1992) findings

when kids worked with others who had different understandings there seemed to be the most change in their understanding

How can you remember the difference between accommodation and assimilation?

ss - same schema
cc - create or change schema