Chapter 2: Cognitive, Language, and Literacy Development
Describe:
While I
was reading chapter two, “Cognitive, Language, and Literacy Development”, I was eager to learn about the
different aspects of cognitive development and the different theories behind
the process. Piaget was a biologist who also studied psychology in Switzerland
in the 1890’s (who and when). I learned that Piaget (who) believed that cognitive
development (what) occurred in stages throughout a child’s life and that these
stages could not be skipped, but that some students may proceed quicker than
others. The four stages are; sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete
operational, and formal operational. Piaget performed different research within
a classroom or small group setting to see how students reacted to different
types of experiments (where). He noted
that second graders and eighth graders in a classroom would go through a
science experiment in different ways because they were at different stages in
cognitive development (where). For
example, a student in second grade in the concrete operational stage could
perform a science experiment but would need to do it on something real life
that they can relate to, whereas an eighth grader in the formal operational
stage would be able to do more independently and form their own hypothesis
(how).
Lev Semionovich Vygostky is another
psychologist that had different opinions that Piaget (who). He thought that learning led to cognitive
development and did not have strict stages in which students pass through. He believed the three steps of development
were; learning actions and sounds have meaning, practicing those internal
structure and self-regulation, and using signs and to solve problems without
the help of others (what and how).
Analyze:
I think
that Piaget and Vygostky were both partially right in how students learn and
develop over time. I appreciate Piaget’s
methodical layout and approach to the different stages of cognitive
development. I also agree to some extent
that students cannot skip one stage completely and that they have to at least
spend some period of time in each stage, although some may proceed very
quickly. In the reading, some critics
argue that students were researched and some were actually able to perform out
of the development level that Piaget suggested that they should be in. Piaget’s argument was that they must have
been close to that stage already before the research began (page 39). I agree with Piaget that there are certain
stages and that all students must pass through each phase, what I do have a
hard time believing is that there are only four strict stages. This is why some
second graders had a hard time figuring out what was affecting the frequency of
the pendulum, it was out of their developmental capabilities. I think that students may be in several stages
at once, but in different subject areas. For example, a child may be really
good at learning to read but may struggle with abstract science ideas. I also
agree with the critics from the textbook that a lot of developmental progress
depends on the environment you are in.
This goes along with the nature versus nurture thought. I think that
nature has part to do with cognitive development, but the environment a child
grows up in also has something to do with it.
Reflect:
I
learned a great deal of information in this section of information. I have not taken an educational psychology in
my undergraduate studies; therefore most of this information was very new to
me. I did not know the details of the
four stages of cognitive development, but I had heard of Piaget before. I also had never heard of Vygotsky or what
his beliefs were about cognitive development.
Vygotsky’s theory of “scaffolding” was new to me as well. This showed me the importance of reminding student’s
different things, giving them certain cues, and breaking down problems or experiments
into step by step instruction.
These two concepts to me both had
great aspects. I feel that children
definitely go through different stages of development like Piaget suggested,
but I also feel that “scaffolding” as Vygotsky mentioned helps by leading the
students little by little to be independent learners helps too.
This concept is very important to the context
of my classroom because I hardly ever stop and really consider “what stage are
my students”? This is just as important as considering the learning styles of
students. I am an inclusion teacher so I
have several students who have just come out of resource classes into the
inclusion classroom. These students may
not be cognitively on the same level as my regular education students and may
need more step by step instructions.
Also, my advanced students in these classes may need something more
cognitively challenged than the rest of the students. This is why
differentiation is so important.
I can use the information that I
learned to be a better teacher by incorporating some of the different strategies
that Vygotsky describes, while considering the different cognitive development
levels that Piaget describes. By knowing
more detailed information about the formal operational stage I can better
understand my seventh graders needs when it comes to ability level,
instructions, and expectations.
