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Hello there….my name is Jean Piaget.

And I’m really, really smart...

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IMPORTANCE OF COGNITIONS & BRAIN DEVELOPMENTTime Magazine - Feb. 3, 1997

* From birth, brain cells proliferate wildly, making connections that may shape a lifetime of experience. The first three years are critical.

* Every week, 80,000 newborns begin the process of wiring their brains for a lifetime of learning. If we don’t pay attention to the conditions under which this delicate process takes place, we all will suffer the consequences. * There is an urgent need for programs to boost brain power for youngsters born into impoverished rural and inner-city households. Without such programs the drive to curtail welfare costs by pushing mothers into the work force may backfire. By the age of 3, a neglected or abused child bears marks that are difficult to erase.

* Because the brain develops in sequence, with more primitive structures stabilizing their connections first, early abuse is particularly damaging…experience is the chief architect of the brain. Early stress experiences form a kind of template around which later brain development is organized.

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Why Is It That………??

• Babies have to put things in their mouths?• Toddlers can’t play hide-and-seek?• Toddlers call all men “daddy”?

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WHAT IS COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT?

* CHANGES IN THINKING PATTERNS THROUGH FOUR STAGES

Sensori-Motor Stage(birth-2 years)

Preoperations(2-5/7 yrs)

Concrete Operations(5/7 yrs-11/13 yrs)

Formal Operations(11/13 yrs-adulthood)

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PIAGET’S THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

BASIC CONCEPTS

• Schema

• assimilation

• accommodation

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SCHEMA

* Cognitive or Mental STRUCTURES by which people intellectually adapt and organize the environment

*Used to process & ORGANIZE incoming information

* Cards in the Brain’s index file

* Become increasingly COMPLEX and interrelatedas development occurs

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ASSIMILATION:

The cognitive process by which a person integrates new information into existing schema, or patterns of behavior.

DOGASSIMILATION

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ACCOMMODATION: Occurs when new information cannot be assimilated into an existing schema..Must create a new schema or modify an existing schema.

4-LEGGED FURRY ANIMAL

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THREE KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE

• PHYSICAL

- learns about physical properties of objects

- basis for symbolization• LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL

- basis for number concept & logical reasoning

- physical objects act as catalysts for thinking• SOCIAL

- constructed through interactions with people

- knowledge about rules, laws, ethics, morality, language

We will talk about Moral Development later.

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Oh, my aching knees…..

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SENSORIMOTOR STAGE:

Beginning of the StageThe infant cannot solve problems through thought and has no awareness that objectsand people are separate from himself

End of the StageThe toddler can internally set goals and carry them out through behaviors and sees objectsand others as separate from herself

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STAGE OF PREOPERATIONS:Beginning of StageThe child is fooled by his perceptions, which override facts. The child cannot reverse thinking, reason about transformations, can’t conserve

End of StageThe child reasons based on factual information. The child can reverse thinking, reason about transformations, and can conserve.

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CONCRETE OPERATIONS

1. Differentiates self from others

2. Conservation (amount stays same)

3. Deductive Reseasoning

4. Transformation

BUT…... 5. CANT ABSTRACT THINK or hypothesize!

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A rra n g e th e p ic tu res to s h o w s u cces s iv e s n a p s h o tso f a fa llin g p en c il.

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CONCRETE OPERATIONS

1. Differentiates self from others

2. Conservation (amount stays same)

3. Deductive Reseasoning

4. Transformation

BUT…... 5. CANT ABSTRACT THINKor hypothesize!

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STAGE OF CONCRETE OPERATIONS

Beginning of Stage:The child can solve logical problems through manipulation of concrete objects but cannotreason about hypothetical, verbal, abstract problems with many variables.

End of Stage:Can solve logical problems without the aid of concrete objects and reason about abstract,hypothetical problems.

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Problem #1An 8-ounce jar of popcorn holds 1200 kernels. How manykernels can a 14-ounce jar hold?

Problem #2Imagine that you have five beakers containing five differentchemicals (you can refer to these chemicals as A, B, C, D,and E, respectively). In how many different ways can two ormore of these chemicals be combined? Show your work.

Problem #3If some pieces of candy are in the shape of candy canes,And if some pieces of candy have red and white stripes,Then do some candy canes have red and white stripes?

Problem #4If all trees are flowers,And if all flowers are weeds,Then: Are all weeds flowers?

Are some weeds trees?Are all trees weeds?

Problem #5If some slurms are marsts,And if some marsts are borfs,Then: Are some slurms borfs?

Are some borfs marsts?

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Characteristics of Formal Operational Thought

1. Ability to deal with abstract, hypothetical,and contrary-to-fact ideas

2. Formulation and testing of hypotheses

3. Separation and control of variables

4. Proportional thought

5. Combinatorial thought

6. Construction of alternatives to reality

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ASSUMPTION EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION

Children as active andmotivated learners

Capitalize on students’ natural curiosity;for example, let them experiment withnew objects.

Construction of knowledge Provide rich and varied experiences.Help students discover relationshipsamong concepts and ideas.

Assimilation andaccommodation

Make sure students have priorknowledge and experiences to whichthey can relate new material.

Importance of interactionwith physical objects

Give students many hands-onopportunities.

Importance of socialinteraction

Provide opportunities for students toshare opinions, perspectives, and beliefs.

Equilibration Provide information and experiencesthat contradict students’ existing beliefs.

Neurological maturation Remember that some students,especially those younger than eleven ortwelve, may not yet be capable ofunderstanding certain ideas.

Four qualitatively differentstages

Gear classroom tasks and assignments tostudents’ developmental levels.

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WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW ALL THIS CRAP?

1. UNDERSTAND STUDENTS THINKING PROCESSES AND HOW THEY DEVELOP

2. TAILOR YOUR CLASSROOM LESSONS TO STUDENTS DEVELOPMENT