Piaget's theory of cognitive development

what is the basis behind his theory

• children think in completely different ways to adults

• divided childhood into stages that represent development and new ways of reasoning

• focused mainly on 1. motivation and 2. HOW knowledge develops

the role of schema in childhood cognitive development

• babies are born with a small number of schema allowing them to interact with the world

• this includes ‘me-schema’ - a babies schema about themselves

• schema become progressively more detailed for for people and other objects

• later the develop schema for things e.g. justice and morality

role of motivation in learning… what does this include?

• includes equilibrium and disequilibrium

• disequilibrium = when existing schema dont allow us to make a sense of something new causing an unpleasant sensation

• equilibrium = when we adapt to the new situation by exploring and developing our understanding to make everything balanced and escape disequilibrium

how does Piaget say learning takes place

assimilation and accommodation

what is assimilation

when we understand a new experience and equilibrate by adding new information to our existing schema

what is accommodation

• takes place w dramatically new experiences

• child has to adjust to new experience and make a new schema

strength - research support Howe et al.

• children aged 9-12

• put into groups of 4

• asked to investigate and discuss the movement of objects down a slope

• all had increased understanding BUT their understanding had not become more similar

• they each developed their own understanding and schema of the objects

strength - application in teaching + counter

• old classroom teaching style has been replaced by activity-oriented classroom

• children actively engage in tasks and construct their own understanding of the curriculum = discovery learning

• HOWEVER Lazonder + Harmsen found discovery learning with considerable input from others / teachers is the most important element

limitation - underestimated role of others in learning

• Vygotsky saw knowledge as existing first between the learner and the teacher and THEN the information can exists in the learner’s mind

• strong evidence to support learning is supported by others which is better explained by other theories

limitation - overstated role of motivation

• sample was unrepresentative as was his own children at first and then those in a university nursery

• these children may have been more motivated than others