Cognitive ability is the brains capability to interpret information presented to us, enabling us to adapt to our surroundings, learning how to solve problems and forming a belief system that assists us with how to interact with the environment. Piaget observed that children at different ages did not answer questions differently because the older ones were brighter but rather because they thought differently. He sought to explain that intelligence is an aspect that is subject to interaction with the environment and biological maturation. According to Huitt & Hummell (2003), Piaget as a biologist observed that babies were born with animal-like reflexes that developed with each maturity stage to constructed mental organizations dependent on their territory. Cherry (2016) states that the intriguing element of Piaget’s cognitive theory is that acquisition of knowledge and intelligence is a native active process. Piaget came up with four stages that are not mutually exclusive. An individual can possess traits of the different stages, but a progressive difference is definite in each succeeding phase.
The Sensory Motor Stage
This cognitive developmental phase ranges between 0 to 2 years old. At this age, children have very limited knowledge of their surrounding, and they learn through physical interactions and experiences. Every experience and interaction at this stage are a discovery that they make and one that has no prior judgment, thus their inability to use symbols or language. Knowledge is acquired through a trial and error method. When babies get hungry, they just cry out as loud as they can. To this end, whatever message one tries to get to them that does not involve breastfeeding or the milk bottle does not make sense since there is no communication to the child.
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The Intuitive Stage
Children between the ages of two and seven years have a sense of language compared to the younger ones. In this phase, they begin school and can figure out symbols and relate them to words that they have learned. Their language, however, is not fully developed, and they will talk at other individuals rather than talk to them. With a bit of keenness, one can understand what they are trying to say. Knowledge is very generalized at this stage and difference in mass, weight, and volume is an aspect that is not well grasped. A bigger coin simply has more value to a 3-year-old than a smaller one, and a bottle full of juice is more than half a bottle no matter the difference in the bottle sizes. Huitt & Hummell (2003) contend that at the intuitive stage, there is a growth in language use, memory, and imagination. However, the patterns of thought are not logical.
The Concrete Operational Stage
Logical thinking takes over in children at 7 to 11 years of age as they get involved in gradual arithmetic. The egocentric thinking at the preceding stage slowly fades away as they get socialized into life relations. With a lot of confusion and reluctance, they slowly begin to get flexible in their thought patterns as they try to understand the aspect of change. According to Simatwa (2010), the child at this stage is keen on facts and is frequently confused by the ever-fluctuating aspect of knowledge. Intelligence is measured by the ability to manipulate symbols logically and systematically.
Formal Operational Stage
The formal operations stage is considered to begin at twelve years into adulthood whereby individuals can weigh available options and make viable decisions in life. Inhelder & Piaget (1958) observed that this age group was independent of their concrete thinking patterns but manipulated the notions in their minds to come up with systematic abstract solutions to the challenges they faced. Abstract thought helps deal with now and makes predictions on the future as one deals with the present.
Piaget was keen to understand how basic concepts such as numerical, time, quantity and justice unfolded in the development of children and came to the conclusion that children were not less competent compared to adults but rather they are different. He viewed cognitive development based on the procedural actions that develop to changes in mental operations. Piaget based his theory on several concepts, which include schema, assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration. Schema refers to the fundamental elements of cognitive development. Piaget (1952) defined schema as “the cohesive, repeatable action sequence possessing component actions that are tightly interconnected and governed by a core meaning.” These aspects help us familiarize with the world around us by creating a relative mental image that helps us know how to relate to a given stimuli. His theory carried the assumption that schemata is stored up and used when the need arises. Piaget addressed how the schema is effective in the environment, that is, when to know what block to use to react to certain stimuli and he concluded that cognitive growth is subject to adaptation; what he referred to as assimilation. Adaptation, however, covers two aspects, which are the norm and change. While to achieve the norm we assimilate and get comfortable, growth advocates for change and our ability to accommodate thus determining our intellectual growth. How we achieve the balance between assimilation and accommodation is crucial because it determines how effective we will be in the next phase of the cognitive development. This ability to strike a balance is referred to as equilibration.
Piaget’s theory uniquely stands out in three aspects that his primary subject is children rather than all learners, his study is based on development rather than learning, and the discrete stages of development are marked by qualitative differences. Literacy and cognitive development affect each other in that emerging cognitive ability set certain borders while literacy abilities affect the thought patterns and tendencies of children. According to Sigel (1990), many professionals charged with the responsibility of teaching child development courses to teachers are challenged by its aspects, that is, how to relate the teaching practices to the developmental outlook, and how critical it is for them to make educational decisions from a developmental point of view. It is important to note that children are active agents of their education. To this end, effective teaching is founded on the child’s vision.
Several approaches to learning effectively draw from Piaget’s theory. This include dissection in school, which involves hands-on learning to create abstract thinking. Indeed, in a dissection class, students are able to gain tangible experience by relating one on one with the subject matter. Another approach to learning that relates to this theory is homeschooling whereby the teacher gives all their attention to one student, therefore, giving the advantage of picking the specific traits data that the child portrays to make effective their learning ability. The California current teaching approach has definitely borrowed from Piaget’s theory by the use of visual aids, approach of the subject from a child’s perspective, the use of hands on teaching methods to build schemata for complex subjects and a broad range of experiences for concept learning. The grading of students largely borrows from this theory’s basic stages of development view that children cannot be tasked with certain duties until they are mature enough to do so.
I think that Piaget’s theory is quite effective since it not only gives an approach to teaching but also clearly lays down reasons why teachers should create an environment where they interact with children to nurture creativity, critical thinking and invention. His advocation for the active engagement with the physical and social environment for knowledge construction, tangible experience to create abstract thinking and assimilation and accommodation to adapt to conceptual change is logical and practical. His theory effectively addresses teaching elements particularly in the age of an outburst of information thus helping guide the teacher in striking a balance between individual dispositions of character traits and habits with their ability for curiosity hence arousing their desire to learn.
References
Cherry, K. (2016). Piaget's Theory: The 4 Stages of Cognitive Development. Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/piagets-stages-of-cognitive-development-2795457
Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University
Inhelder, B., & Piaget, J. (1958). Adolescent thinking.
Piaget, J. (1957). Construction of reality in the child. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Sigel, I. (1990). What teachers need to know about human development. In D. Dill (Ed.), What teachers need to know: the knowledge, skills, and values essential to good teaching (pp. 76–93). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Simatwa, M. W. (2010), Piaget’s theory of intellectual development. Educationa l Research and Reviews Vol. 5(7), pp. 366-371
