Piaget and Bruner
Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner are two theorists who have both had an effect on education over the past century. The process of teaching and learning used by mathematics teachers has been greatly contributed to by Piaget and Bruner. Constructivism is based on the ideas formed by Piaget and Bruner, “a theory that views the child as creating knowledge by acting on experience gained from the world and then finding meaning in it.” (Sperry-Smith, Van De Walle, Karp and Bay-Williams, 2012, p.10).
Jean Piaget created a four-stage cognitive development theory, much of what we know about development and how and when it occurs comes from the research that has been based on Piaget’s stages. The first stage is sensorimotor period is from birth to age two. This is the beginning of a child understanding the world. Touch, taste, sight, hearing, smell, and muscles are all senses that are sensory and are all used in this first stage. Children are encouraged to use their sensory and also their motor abilities to learn skills and concepts that are basic. Preoperational stage is stage two and ranges from about ages two until seven. Children begin to grasp concepts that an adult can do but are still incomplete to what they will eventually be like when they are older. Language is undergoes rapid growth and there is an increase in speech to explain knowledge. Symbolic behaviour is used in this period especially when children play. The third stage is concrete operations, from ages of about seven until eleven. Children are now able to hold knowledge in their mind and then make changes to that knowledge if something is added or changed. Children are becoming conservers. However, in the transitional phase from stages, ages five to seven, every child’s thought process is different and growing at their own rate some children will already be conservers and others will not be. The fourth and final stage is formal operational, from age eleven through on into adulthood. Children are able solve
Jean Piaget created a four-stage cognitive development theory, much of what we know about development and how and when it occurs comes from the research that has been based on Piaget’s stages. The first stage is sensorimotor period is from birth to age two. This is the beginning of a child understanding the world. Touch, taste, sight, hearing, smell, and muscles are all senses that are sensory and are all used in this first stage. Children are encouraged to use their sensory and also their motor abilities to learn skills and concepts that are basic. Preoperational stage is stage two and ranges from about ages two until seven. Children begin to grasp concepts that an adult can do but are still incomplete to what they will eventually be like when they are older. Language is undergoes rapid growth and there is an increase in speech to explain knowledge. Symbolic behaviour is used in this period especially when children play. The third stage is concrete operations, from ages of about seven until eleven. Children are now able to hold knowledge in their mind and then make changes to that knowledge if something is added or changed. Children are becoming conservers. However, in the transitional phase from stages, ages five to seven, every child’s thought process is different and growing at their own rate some children will already be conservers and others will not be. The fourth and final stage is formal operational, from age eleven through on into adulthood. Children are able solve