Topic 4 Cognitive Development.pdf

Topic 4 Early Childhood Development and Learning Cognitive Development This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY  Objectives Be familiar with Piaget’s constructivist theory and Vygotsky’s social construc...

Topic 4 Early Childhood Development and Learning Cognitive Development This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY  Objectives Be familiar with Piaget’s constructivist theory and Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory of cognitive development Understand children’s cognitive characteristics in a developmental perspective Link children’s cognitive developmental processes with early childhood educational practices. Compare the theories and apply them to educational practice. 2  Question What is cognition? 3  Cognition The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. 4  Piaget (1896 - 1980) Swiss Psychologist, worked for several decades on understanding children’s cognitive development. Most widely known theory of cognitive development. Piaget was intrigued by children’s thoughts & behaviour, & worked to understand their cognitive development: interested in children’s errors. 5  Piaget and Constructivism Best known for the idea that individuals construct their understanding, that learning is a constructive process (Active learning) He called children ‘scientists’: they test and explore hypotheses about the world by reflecting on their experiences. Have you ever experienced constructive ways of learning? Any examples? 6  Three Basic Components To Piaget's Cognitive Theory 1. Schemas: how knowledge is organized and represented 2. Adaptation processes: Processes that enable learning and the transition from one stage to another 3. Stages of development 7  1. Schemas Schemas: The basic building blocks of cognitive models that enable us to form a mental representation. 8  Schemas As we experience the world, we build up mental representations of concepts, categories of similar events, ideas, objects or people We organize these into schemas: Groups of related concepts Cognitive economy: help us predict  2. Adaptation processes Adaptation processes enable the transition from one stage to another o Equilibrium vs. disequilibrium In equilibrium, existing schemas can explain what has been perceived Disequilibrium happens when there’s an inconsistency between a learner’s cognitive structure & the thing being learned o Assimilation (when Equilibrium): Process of adding new experience or information to an existing cognitive structure. o Accommodation (when disequilibrium): Process of reorganizing thoughts when new information does not fit the schema 10 Schema: Dog Equilibrium: Assimilation Disequilibrium: Accommodation 11  3. Stages of development All children develop through four stages based on how they see the world and how they think. Thinking and cognition are qualitatively different in each stage The age may vary somehow, but we all go through the stages in the same order below: 1. Sensorimotor (birth –2 years) 2. Preoperational (~2-7) 3. Concrete operational (~7-11) 4. Formal operations (~12-15) 12  (1) Sensorimotor Stage Birth to about 2 years, rapid change is seen throughout What can babies do at this stage? Explore the world through senses & motor activity Early on, babies can’t tell the difference between themselves & the environment. If they cannot see something, then they think it does not exist Begin to understand cause & effect Can later follow something with their eyes 13  (2) Preoperational Stage The word "operational" can be loosely translated as possessing logical thought. Thus, preoperational children are pre-logical. About 2 to about 7 years old Rapidly developing language & communication Can imagine the future & reflect on the past Develop basic numerical abilities Has difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality (ex: cartoon characters are real people) 14  Egocentrism inability to take another person’s perspective Implication: Children must learn that other people have thoughts different from theirs. Talking to children about thinking, feeling, 15 etc. helps in the development of a Theory of Mind.  (3) Concrete Operational Stage From about 7-11 years old Abstract reasoning ability & ability to generalize from the concrete increases Understands conservation of matter Understands hierarchic categories Ability in seriation 16  Contrast between Preoperational and Concrete Operational Stages Preoperational stage Concrete operational stage Centration Decentration Irreversible Reversible States Transformations Perceived appearance Inferred reality Children who have concrete operational thought can see more than one aspect of a problem at a time, see things as reversible and changeable, can see and describe transformations, and based on that can make inferences about reality. 17  (4) Formal Operations Begins from about 12 to about 15 Adult thinking Able to think about hypothetical situations Form & test hypotheses Organize information Reason scientifically 18 Watch the video (All 4 stages) https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=TRF27 F2bn-A 19  Criticisms of Piaget Tasks were methodologically flawed. As several studies have shown Piaget underestimated the abilities of children because his tests were sometimes confusing or difficult to understand: The tendency for observers to be biased can be counteracted by using two or more observers (re: inter-observer reliability), but Piaget observed and made notes alone. Generalisations should not be made from research such as this, but Piaget did generalise and many of his ideas on sensori-motor and pre-operational stages are based on these observations.  Criticisms of Piaget Underestimated the impact of CULTURE: »Piaget’s tasks are culturally biased »Schooling and literacy affect rates of development »Formal operational thinking is not universal  Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934); Russian psychologist Social constructivist theory of cognitive development It highlights the role of social and cultural interactions play in the learning process. Knowledge is co-constructed and that individuals learn from one another. It is called a social constructivist theory because in Vygotsky’s opinion the learner must be engaged in the learning process. Learning happens with the assistance of other people.  Importance of language Language: Learning happens through interactions with others; Allows us to represent reality and to distance the individual in relation to here and now; Allows users to communicate with each other; Language is the ultimate social tool.  Importance of Language Vygotsky argued that when young children interact with others, they become more knowledgeable. Private speech – talking to yourself – was the foundation of higher thinking because it allowed children to plan, recall information and to solve problems. Enables them to identify what tasks are accepted as culturally important. Facilitates individual thinking - “internal dialogue”, “communication with ourselves”; Allows children to organize how they behave and to reflect on this;  ZPD - Zone of Proximal Development The range of tasks that a child is in the process of learning to complete. - lower limit - the level of skill reached by the child working independently (also referred to as the child’s actual developmental level). - upper limit - the level of potential skill that the child is able to reach with the assistance of a more capable instructor. - https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=8I2hrSRbmHE  Scaffolding Scaffolding: an instructional technique in which a teacher provides individualized support by gradually improving a learner’s ability to the next level based on prior knowledge. Introduced by Jerome Bruner  Scaffolding Changing the level of support to Jerome Bruner (1915 -2016) suit the cognitive potential of the child Scaffolding works to maintain the potential level of development in the ZPD. Scaffolding example Left to his own devices, could this boy make his sister a birthday cake? His mother uses scaffolding to create a situation in which he can begin to move into a zone of proximal development.  Scaffolding Have you experienced scaffolding? How did the scaffolding help you make progress? Scaffolding strategies: note taking, reading buddies (coaches for children), manipulatives… A manipulative is an object which is designed so that a learner can perceive some mathematical concept by manipulating it, hence its name. The use of manipulatives provides a way for children to learn concepts through developmentally appropriate hands-on experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77vucSD9axA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Jttpj3tG8 Co-operative Learning Children working in groups Helping each other and learning from each other An extension of the idea of the teacher being the only person to help the children learn This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC The role of the teacher - Vygotsky How would you change your plans or add to them to make them fit Vygotsky’s theory? What would the role of the teacher/adults be?  Are you an expert on Piaget and Vygotsky? Answer the following questions for both Piaget and Vygotsky: 1. How does a child learn? 2. Are there stages in development? What are they? 3. What is the role of adults in development? Case study - discussion A Year 4 teacher has noticed that she has a group of girls in her class (aged 8-9 years) who are very good at maths but lack confidence. She gives them maths tasks to complete together as much as possible over the first term, encouraging interaction and discussion. What outcomes do you think this will have for their maths skills and on their confidence?  Case study - discussion A primary school teacher is teaching her class about floating and sinking in science this term. She has given them a worksheet first to find out what they already know. She has a group of children who understand a lot about the concept and another group with very limited knowledge. To make sure all the children learn as much as possible, should she: Group the knowledgeable children together to work, and group the limited knowledge children together? Mix the groups up so that the more knowledgeable are working with the less knowledgeable?