Jean Piaget and the Classroom

Jean Piaget’s key contribution to the field of psychology and education was his theory of cognitive development. Before diving into his theory one should understand that cognition is the way we organize our thought processes based on prior experiences. For example, cognitive activities include problem solving skills and the ability to examine intricate tasks in a critical manner. Piaget developed his theory based on the same principles seen in biological processes. Just as our digestive and respiration systems function in order for us to adapt to changes in our environment and stay alive, Piaget looked at cognition in the same way with one key difference. His theory did not revolve around how biological functions help us to adapt and survive but rather how certain cognitive activities (and their interaction with biological processes) help us to adapt and survive (B. Newman & P. Newman, 2007).

Piaget’s theory contains four main concepts. The first is schemata and it involves the way a person processes and organizes previous experiences using common traits that have been perceived throughout each experience. Exposure is the second concept and it entails the way we balance new information entering our thought processes because of new events that are happening in our lives. Assimilation is the concept that deals with how we organize and use these new experiences in light of the cognitive processes already taking place (schemata) based on previous experiences. Accommodation is the fourth and final step and it explains how a person may have to change former thought processes to accommodate new stimuli (Waymire, n.d.).

There are four stages in cognitive development and as it has already been explained they are grounded in biological principles. The first stage is the sensorimotor stage. It lasts from birth until the age of 2 and it is a time of remarkable development. The second stage is called the preoperational stage and it lasts from the age of 2 until 7 years old. Development continues to take place a significant pace but not as quickly as it occurred in the sensorimotor stage. The third stage takes place between the ages of 7 and 12 and there are a variety of changes that take place among elementary students during this time period. This stage is entitled the concrete operations stage and during this stage the four limitations we see in the preoperational stage (egocentric thinking, conservation, irreversibility, and rigidity) gradually start to lose their grip on the mental processes of the individuals going through this stage. Finally, formal operations is the last stage of this theory and begins around the age of 11and concludes around the ages of 18 to 22. Hypothetical reasoning and abstract thinking are key components that become present during this stage (Waymire, n.d.).

How can this theory be applied to teachers at all levels? As one teaches students between the ages of 2 and 7 (preoperational stage) they must keep in mind the four limitations that are present during this period. Students are going to be very egocentric during this phase of their lives. A lesson that forces students to consider the life experiences of someone else or something else may never take hold in the students thought processes leading to an ineffective use of time by the teacher. From a conservation standpoint, students may not be able grasp the logic behind mass and volume in light of the knowledge that certain objects can change shape and form. In other words, students may have a hard time understanding how the principles behind mass and volume never change despite seeing objects and shapes that might change on a regular basis (Waymire, n.d.).

Irreversibility is also a limitation that teachers must deal with during this time period. Teachers must realize that students may not be able to develop new thought processes until they have been taught or exposed to new ways of thinking that can be efficiently organized within their former cognitive processes (assimilation). Finally, students are going to be very rigid regarding their thought processes during the preoperational stage (Waymire, n.d.). Teachers must consider all four of these principles as they prepare and present lessons.

During the third stage (concrete operations) teachers must realize that despite a thawing of the four limitations discussed in previous paragraphs, students are not going to be able to think abstractly and will continue to have rigid cognitive processes (Waymire, n.d.). A modern day example of this concept involves the Arizona Board of Education and their revision of social studies standards in K-12 classrooms. The Arizona Board of Education changed the social studies standards in 2005 to include more abstract standards (Hinde and Perry, 2007). In response to this decision, one second grade teacher in Arizona is quoted as saying “Teaching is an extremely stressful profession these days: Please don’t make it impossible by expecting us to teach abstract concepts to children who are developmentally in the concrete stages of development as defined by Jean Piaget (Second Grade Teacher, 2005, p. 1). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development can be used by almost any teacher at any level and it is vital that one incorporates the principles of this philosophy into their daily classroom instruction.

References

Hinde, E. R., & Perry, N. (September, 2007). Elementary teachers’ application of Jean
Piaget’s theories of cognitive development during social studies curriculum debates in
Arizona [Electronic version]. Elementary School Journal, 108(1), 63-79.

Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2007). Theories of human development, 82.

Waymire, C. (2009). Jean Piaget: 1896-1980 [PowerPoint slides].
Retrieved from https://bb.fhu.edu/webct/urw/lc2044122001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct