From the day they are born, children are immersed in a social world. Rapid learning takes place and is supported not only by parents, siblings, teachers and friends but also the important values and beliefs within their culture. All of this provides the foundations for cognitive development. As trainee teachers, it is fundamental that we have a deeper understanding of how children learn and how we can support learning. In order to do this we must first look at some of the theories of learning.
Theories
Prior to the early 20th century little interest was paid to how a child developed; indeed most early research appears to be based on abnormal childhood behaviour (Oates et al. 2005). However, over time researchers began to acknowledge that both genetics and environment factors impacted on the way a child developed. Although there are many theories of child development, in particular constructivism, behaviourism, social constructivism and social learning have influenced developmental psychology enormously (Oates et al. 2005).
Many theorists and researchers have debated (and continue to debate) whether cognitive development is a continuous or discontinuous processUntitled (Crowley, 2014). Do cognitive processes advance with age (continuous) or is a child required to reach one stage of development before they can advance to the next (discontinuous)?
Piaget (1952) based his theory on his belief that cognitive development occurred in four specific stages; sensori-motor stage,
Child development theories provide various explanations of how children progress, and some also provide answers as to why certain outcomes or behaviors occur as a child grows. Two theories provide the best perspective regarding development when the two processes are used collectively: behavioral theory and cognitive developmental theory.
Psychologist Jean Piaget developed the Piaget’s theory around the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Piaget’s theory implies that cognitive growth advances in different stages, influenced by an instinctive need to know basis. The four stages of Piaget’s theory are, sensorimotor (birth to about two years old), preoperational (average two to seven years old), concrete operational (seven to eleven years old), and formal operational stage (eleven to undetermined years old).
Piaget’s theory was introduced by Jean Piaget who established four periods of cognitive development. The four stages are; Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal operational. The sensorimotor is the first stage and begins when the child is born and proceeds until the age of two years. The second stage is the preoperational stage and begins with the child is two years old and continues until the child reaches six years of age. The concrete stage is the third stage and begins when the child is six years old and proceeds until the age of 11 years old. The formal operational stage is the fourth stage and
Piaget developed the theory of stage development; he had based his theories on his children by carrying out detailed observations where he came up with four stages in each process. But he believed a child had to be at a certain age to learn something or they simply couldn’t learn it or know it. I believe he underestimated children’s abilities and knowledge. The first stage was called sensorimotor stage- in this stage children learnt through using their 5 senses, touch, taste, smell, seeing and hearing. He believe they understood that the
Cognitive development is the way a child sees, thinks and gains understanding of the world through interaction, influence, learned and genetic factors. There are four areas of intelligence and child brain development. They are: biological approaches to intelligence, cognitive succession of stages, knowledge, and intellectual ability.
There are many theories of child development largely because many different people have studied the field for many years. Each theory has their different factors; biology, sociology, genetics, environment, and relationships are just a few of them. “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous -- and how well I know it. ”! (Psalms 139:14). One might ask the question: "If theories are so useful, why do we need so many?" Having a multitude of theories allow us to see how children develop from a variety of
There is a plethora of child development theories that have a degree of influence over current practice. Each of which both have criticism and contrasting theories.
There are many different theories of development which we use to understand children’s behaviour, reactions and the way in which they learn.
At the centre of Piaget's theory is the principle that cognitive development occurs in a series of four distinct, universal stages, each characterized by increasingly sophisticated and
Jean Piaget is a developmental psychologist who studied young children and analyzed their development at a young age. Piaget is well known for his four cognitive development stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete, and formal operations; as mentioned by Siegler and Alibali (2004). Siegler and Alibali (2004) also stated that these four stages begin as soon as the child is born and it continues throughout their young adolescent years all the way to adulthood. Piaget conducted numerous research experiments towards young children in order to prove his hypothesis and drew conclusions for
Theories of development offer insights into the forces guiding childhood growth and what can affect them.
Jean Piaget places cognitive development into stages by age and suggests four mental stages for children from birth to age 21 years of age. Piaget’s four mental stages of cognitive development are Sensory Motor, Preoperational Stage, Concrete Operational Stage and Formal Operational Stage.
Childhood development encompasses the cognitive, physical, social, moral and emotional changes from birth until the end of adolescence (White, Hayes & Livesey, 2013). Throughout childhood, environment and genetics promote or discourage growth and development. This essay will analyse the cognitive, physical, social, moral and emotional domains in relativity to my own development from the prenatal stage until adolescence. Psychological and environmental theories are used to develop the understanding and connection between each domain and stage of development. Lastly, this essay will address the controversial nature verses nurture debate and its relevance to my childhood development.
The development of a child is viewed from a number of different perspectives by several developmental theorists. While some say that development continues throughout the life, others would hold an opinion that children stop to develop as soon as they mature. Therefore, lifespan developmental theorists have focused on a number of areas while studying the development of an individual. Some of these areas include cognitions, social development, sexual development, moral development and more. Each of these theories is important in order to completely analyze the process whereby which a child matures and transitions into an adult.
Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is one the most widely accepted, his four stages of development are age based.