AO1
PIAGET
- children of the SAME AGE got answers WRONG in the SAME WAY
- observed HIS children at HOME and with FRIENDS as to how they SOLVED PROBLEMS in their NATURAL SETTINGS and asked their REASONING
- all CHILDREN are SCIENTISTS who began to EXPLORE the WORLD as soon as
- infants aren’t just PASSIVE OBSERVERS but are ACTIVELY INVOLVED in making sense of what they SEE, HEAR, FEEL, DISCOVER etc.
SCHEMAS
- as children develop, they construct MORE DETAILED AND COMPLEX MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS for things such as PEOPLE, OBJECTS, PHYSICAL ACTIONS and abstract ideas such as MORALITY AND JUSTICE = A SCHEMA
- BIRTH: small number of schemas to allow them to interact
- INFANCY: CONSTRUCT NEW SCHEMAS such as the ‘ME-SCHEMA’ (knowledge about themselves)
DISEQUILIBRIUM + EQUILIBRATION (MOTIVATION TO LEARN)
- motivated to learn when our EXISTING SCHEMAS DON’T ALLOW US TO MAKE SENSE OF SOMETHING NEW = UNPLEASANT sensation of DISEQUILIBRIUM
- need to ADAPT to the NEW SITUATION to ESCAPE by exploring it = EQUILIBRIUM
ASSIMILATION + ACCOMMODATION (HOW IT TAKES PLACE)
- ASSIMILATION: understand a new experience – add new information to an EXISTING SCHEMAS e.g. new dog breeds – still a dog
- ACCOMMODATION: response to a DRAMATICALLY NEW EXPERIENCE by RADICALLY CHANGING THEIR CURRENT SCHEMA or forming NEW ONES e.g. may think a cat is a type of dog
SENSORIMOTOR STAGE (APPROX 0-2 YRS)
- developing BASIC PHYSICAL COORDINATION through TRIAL and ERROR
- develops an understanding that OTHER PEOPLE are SEPARATE OBJECTS and have BASIC LANGUAGE
- 8 MONTHS = OBJECT PERMANENCE (objects still exist when they are out of SIGHT)
- observed babies looking at objects as they were REMOVED FROM SIGHT = BEFORE 8 MONTHS – IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED THEIR ATTENTION when out of sight / AFTER 8 MONTHS – CONTINUED TO LOOK
PRE-OPERATIONAL STAGE (APPROX 2-7 YRS)
- CONSERVATION: quantity remains CONSTANT even when the APPEARANCE changes
- 2 CONTAINERS (with the SAME AMOUNT of liquid and height) – saw they had the SAME VOLUME BUT when one of the liquids was poured into a TALLER, THINNER VESSEL, the YOUNGER children thought there was MORE in the TALLER one
- EGOCENTRISM: can see the world from ONE POV
- 3 MOUNTAINS (MODEL) were shown either with a CROSS, a HOUSE or SNOW on them, a DOLL was placed on the OPPOSITE side of the model to the CHILD and the CHILD was ASKED what the DOLL would ‘see’ from a RANGE OF PICTURES = PRE-OP CHILD (E.G. AGE 4): would find is DIFFICULT and choose their OWN POV
- CLASS INCLUSION: CLASSIFICATION of objects in different categories e.g. most PRE-OP children can classify pugs, bull terriers etc. as dogs
- children under 7 struggle with MORE ADVANCED CLASS INCLUSION – when they showed 7-8 yr old children pictures of 5 DOGS and 2 CATS and was asked ‘are there more dogs or animals?’, they tended to answer with DOGS
= CAN’T SIMULTANEOUSLY see a dog as a member of the DOG CLASS and the ANIMAL CLASS
STAGE OF CONCRETE OPERATIONS (APPROX 7-11 YRS)
- can CONSERVE and perform better on EGO-CENTRISM and CLASS INCLUSION tasks
- BETTER REASONING ABILITIES – can only be applied to PHYSICAL OBJECTS in the CHILD’S PRESENCE (concrete)
- struggle to reason ABSTRACT IDEAS (e.g. morality and justice) and to IMAGINE OBJECTS or SITUATIONS
STAGE OF FORMAL OPERATIONS (APPROX 11+ YRS)
- able to focus on the FORM of the ARGUMENT and not the CONTENT e.g. all yellow cats have two heads, i have a yellow cat called charlie, how many heads does charlie have? = 2 – YOUNGER CHILDREN would answer that cats don’t really have two heads (the content)
- capable of SCIENTIFIC REASONING and APPRECIATE ABSTRACT IDEAS
AO3
- APPLICATION IN EDUCATION: the idea that children learn by ACTIVELY EXPLORING their environment and forming their OWN MENTAL REPRESENTATION of the WORLD has shaped teaching – changed classrooms to ACTIVITY-BASED classrooms so children ACTIVELY ENGAGE in TASKS that allow them to CONSTRUCT their OWN UNDERSTANDING of the curriculum e.g. physical properties of sand and water in early years to reading material INDEPENDENTTLY FIRST at a-level
- CONCLUSIONS ON CLASS INCLUSION MAY BE DUBIOUS: PIAGET: PRE-OPERATIONAL CHILDREN were UNABLE to UNDERSTAND that an object can’t be a member of TWO CLASSES at the same time BUT SIEGLAR + SVETINA: tested 100 5 yr olds who had 3 SESSIONS OF TEN CLASS INCLUSION TASKS, RECEIVING an EXPLANATION of the task – ONE CONDITION: given FEEDBACK that there may be MORE ANIMALS than DOGS as there are 9 ANIMALS and 6 DOGS + ANOTHER: FEEDBACK that there were MORE ANIMALS as DOGS are a SUBJECT of ANIMALS = scores IMPROVED MORE for the LATTER GROUP as they gained a REAL UNDERSTANDING of class inclusion
- CHILDREN’S ABILITY TO DECENTRE: PIAGET: YOUNG children could only see the world from THEIR OWN PERSPECTIVE and was able to DECENTRE BETTER WITH AGE BUT HUGHES: children 3.5 to 5 yrs old were shown a 3D model of TWO INTERSECTING WALLS and a POLICEMAN is placed at the END of ONE WALL so he could see the TWO SECTIONS – the children were asked to place the BOY the POLICEMAN couldn’t see him = 90% placed the boy where the policeman COULDN’T SEE
- STUDY OF CONSERVATION: PIAGET: children in his study BELIEVED they were MEANT to think that the QUANTITY has CHANGED, otherwise why else would they change the APPEARANCE then ask the SAME THING? DONALDSON + MCGARRIGLE – set up COUNTERS that APPEARED to move by ACCIDENT, in the CONTROL: they REPLICATED PIAGET’S TASK and found MOST ANSWERED INCORRECTLY, BUT when a ‘NAUGHTY TEDDY’ appeared and knocked off the counters – 62% CORRECTLY said there was the SAME NUMBER = NOT PUT OFFBY THE WAY THEY WEREQUESTIONED