Jane Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Introduction1

Discussion2

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)2

Jane Piaget's Theory of Child Development2

Jane Piaget's Principles3

Jane Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development3

Sensorimotor Stage (birth to two years)3

Sub-stage 1 (Birth to 1 month)4

Sub-stage 2 (1-4 months)4

Sub-stage 3 (4-8 months)4

Sub-stage 4 (8-12 months)4

Sub-stage 5 (12-18 months)4

Sub-stage 6 (18-24 months)4

Preoperational Stage (2-7 years)5

Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years)5

Formal Operational Stage5

Criticism of Piaget's Theory5

Underestimating Children's abilities5

Bypassing Cultural Influences6

Unscientific Methods6

Socio-cultural approach6

Stages in Jane Piaget's Theory6

Jean Piaget's Contributions7

Piaget's contribution towards Psychology of Classroom learning7

Conclusion8

Jane Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Introduction

Children are the best gifts of nature to the mankind. Their mere presence adds energy to our lives. The time from conception to adulthood, is a period of continuous change for a child. When a child is born, he/she has limited skills. With the passage of time, the child learns everything. The child develops motor, cognitive and language skills. Nature plays its role and teaches the child everything he needs to know and grow. Child development is a complex process in which several factors contribute. This is the reason every child is different. There are many theories about child development. Psychologists have studied human development and have presented various theories about it (Salvin,1988). Plato (400 BC) believed that the children held knowledge when they were born and this knowledge could be brought out by teaching or education. This is the root of word 'education' which means 'to draw out'.

A theory is a proposed idea that gives explanation on a subject and is generally accepted. Theories of child development enlighten ways children learn and grow. Theories of child development aid us in understanding the process of development through which a child passes by. Some of the renowned theories are Gessel's (1880-1961) Maturational theory, Freud's (1856-1939) Psychodynamic theory, Piaget's (1896-1980) and Erikson's (1902-1994) Cognitive theories, Watson's (1878-1958) and Skinner's (1902-1994) Behaviorist theories and Bronfenbrenner's 1917 2005) ecological theories. All of these theories have made contributions towards better understanding and interpretation of child's development.

We have selected Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development for this research. The article will study and evaluate |Piaget's theory, its significance, its implementation and its draw backs.

Discussion

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

"The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.”-Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget was born in 1896. He was originally a biologist but later developed interest in child's development process (Atherton 2013). He completed his doctorate in zoology from University of Neuchâtel in 1918. At the early age of 11, he developed his interest towards research and writing.

Piaget was an eminent author who wrote about 70 books and more than 100 articles about human and child psychology. His theoretical conceptualizations have induced a vast amount of research. Jean Piaget was rewarded with the Balzan Prize for Social and Political Sciences in 1979. He died at the age of 84, on September 16, 1980.

Jane Piaget's Theory of Child Development

Jean Piaget proposed that children are innovative and ...