Theorist Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget
Theorist
7/9/2013
Theorist Jean Piaget Jean Piaget was scientifically intrigued with the world around him at a young age. He wrote his first paper on the behavior of species specific sparrows at the age of 11. Many view his first writing as the birth of a scientific mind. During college he studied and completed a Ph.D. in natural sciences. He continued to focus his area of research on the organization of a person’s thought process. Piaget was interested in the process of psychoanalysis; this interest was further ignited when he worked with De Simon at , Ecole de la rue de la Grange-aux-Belles, a boys school developed by Alfred Binet (Smith, 2000). Binet and Simon had created a measuring system of …show more content…
intelligence. Piaget participated in research of mind and the growth process of one 's thoughts.
Piaget was influenced by the men of his educational process such as Binet and Simon but interestingly enough his emotional connections may have provided him the most important conduits for his desire to research, analyze and develop his world renowned theory. First, his father who was a studious professor of literature during his childhood. Secondly his children with whom he observed, recorded and analyzed throughout their development. As Piaget watched his children discover, process and learn, he recorded their successes but more important to him was their mistakes. He believed that his children’s mistakes provided a greater insight into how their minds learned, processed their experiences and altered their acquired knowledge. (Don Baucum, 2006, p. 70) Through these interactions with his children he honed his understanding of the development of a child’s intellect and he assessed that adults were not superior to children in thought …show more content…
process. Simply put, he professed that children perceived things in a different way.
Piaget’s personal experiences and desire to understand a child’s cognitive development led to the development of his theory. In the cultivation of Piaget’s theory he reflected on how children perceived the world around them. He also believed that children would accumulate information from their experiences with which they would interpret through their senses and store for future use, reflection and comparison. (Anthony Giddens, 2013, p. 78)
Piaget conceived that children were inherently born with basic mental abilities. These abilities provided the structure upon which all further learning would be built. His theory consists of schemas, raw information, the process of the information and then the introduction of altered action based on experience. Piaget classified his four stages of the development of cognitive thought as follows: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. Three of these four stages were perceived by Piaget to be experienced worldwide. He theorized that the fourth stage was developed when a child experienced continued and further schooling. The first stage is experienced by newborns that learn and experience through physical exploration until the age of two. They develop the ability to decipher the difference between people and objects. Next, children evolve into the preoperational stage in which they thrive between the ages of two to seven. Children in this stage acquire language, symbols and meanings of things that hold importance to them through their perceptions. Then the third stage begins with the logical thought and ideas. This stage incubus ages seven to eleven. These children develop the ability to utilize mathematical functions and see their place in the world. Finally if a child receives the needed education they will graduate into the formal operational stage. This stage sees children from the ages of eleven to fifteen. Children who have crossed over into this stage have developed the ability to contemplate abstract ideas, make educated guesses and assumptions based on their ideas. These children have developed a wide range of diverse problem solving skills. (Anthony Giddens, 2013, pp. 78-79)
The majority of other cognitive theory reference Piaget as a supporting factor to their theory or use it as a point of opposition. Regardless of whether they agree or disagree it is evident that Piaget’s theory is respected. Lawrence Kohlberg is one theorist who utilized Piaget 's theory to explain his theory of moral development. He uses Piaget 's stages to explain how a child develops the ideas of good and bad. He also comparably describes a higher level of internal knowledge and practice of ethical behavior and perception.
Piaget research focused on how children perceive the world around them.
He felt that these perceptions shaped children’s ability to develop knowledge. The research, data and analysis based theory has been used to design the basis of education for children all over the world. It has also shaped the opinions of what parenting should entail. Piaget’s influence can be seen in most if not all areas of development; however the greatest influence is on education. Piaget believed that children’s knowledge and more importantly the function of learning was to be cultivated through experiences, mistakes and opportunities to develop their ability to reason as the children themselves displayed they were ready for the experience and not a pre-determined schedule. He conceived that children would merge their knowledge as they transitioned from one stage to another, in a type of blending of thought process. Since Piaget believed children acquired their knowledge through the maturity process he saw his theory applicable to all cultures of society. The quality of Piaget’s theory provided the scientific community the ability to participate in a wide variety of studies on cognitive development all over the world. The Cross-Cultural research that has come to fruition from this theory has given the world the ability to more easily identify the similarities in diverse
cultures.
Jean Piaget theory has become a legacy in which past, present and future scientists, teachers and parents have and will evoke to cultivate a greater degree of understanding of the mind of children. The vision of providing the ultimate learning environment to nurture the minds of the future thinkers of the world lives on and so does Piaget’s theory.
Bibliography Anthony Giddens, M. D. (2013). Essentials of Sociology. New York, N.Y.: W.W.Norton & Company.
Berk, L. E. (2010). Exploring Lifespan Development. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Don Baucum, P. (2006). Barron 's EZ 101 Study Keys Psychology. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron 's Educational Series.
Juang, D. M. (2008). Culture & Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengag Learning.
Smith, L. (2000, November). A Brief Biography of Jean Piaget. Retrieved July 9, 2013, from Jean Piaget Society: http://www.piaget.org/aboutPiaget.html (Berk, 2010) (Juang, 2008)
Theorist
7/9/2013
Theorist Jean Piaget Jean Piaget was scientifically intrigued with the world around him at a young age. He wrote his first paper on the behavior of species specific sparrows at the age of 11. Many view his first writing as the birth of a scientific mind. During college he studied and completed a Ph.D. in natural sciences. He continued to focus his area of research on the organization of a person’s thought process. Piaget was interested in the process of psychoanalysis; this interest was further ignited when he worked with De Simon at , Ecole de la rue de la Grange-aux-Belles, a boys school developed by Alfred Binet (Smith, 2000). Binet and Simon had created a measuring system of …show more content…
intelligence. Piaget participated in research of mind and the growth process of one 's thoughts.
Piaget was influenced by the men of his educational process such as Binet and Simon but interestingly enough his emotional connections may have provided him the most important conduits for his desire to research, analyze and develop his world renowned theory. First, his father who was a studious professor of literature during his childhood. Secondly his children with whom he observed, recorded and analyzed throughout their development. As Piaget watched his children discover, process and learn, he recorded their successes but more important to him was their mistakes. He believed that his children’s mistakes provided a greater insight into how their minds learned, processed their experiences and altered their acquired knowledge. (Don Baucum, 2006, p. 70) Through these interactions with his children he honed his understanding of the development of a child’s intellect and he assessed that adults were not superior to children in thought …show more content…
process. Simply put, he professed that children perceived things in a different way.
Piaget’s personal experiences and desire to understand a child’s cognitive development led to the development of his theory. In the cultivation of Piaget’s theory he reflected on how children perceived the world around them. He also believed that children would accumulate information from their experiences with which they would interpret through their senses and store for future use, reflection and comparison. (Anthony Giddens, 2013, p. 78)
Piaget conceived that children were inherently born with basic mental abilities. These abilities provided the structure upon which all further learning would be built. His theory consists of schemas, raw information, the process of the information and then the introduction of altered action based on experience. Piaget classified his four stages of the development of cognitive thought as follows: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. Three of these four stages were perceived by Piaget to be experienced worldwide. He theorized that the fourth stage was developed when a child experienced continued and further schooling. The first stage is experienced by newborns that learn and experience through physical exploration until the age of two. They develop the ability to decipher the difference between people and objects. Next, children evolve into the preoperational stage in which they thrive between the ages of two to seven. Children in this stage acquire language, symbols and meanings of things that hold importance to them through their perceptions. Then the third stage begins with the logical thought and ideas. This stage incubus ages seven to eleven. These children develop the ability to utilize mathematical functions and see their place in the world. Finally if a child receives the needed education they will graduate into the formal operational stage. This stage sees children from the ages of eleven to fifteen. Children who have crossed over into this stage have developed the ability to contemplate abstract ideas, make educated guesses and assumptions based on their ideas. These children have developed a wide range of diverse problem solving skills. (Anthony Giddens, 2013, pp. 78-79)
The majority of other cognitive theory reference Piaget as a supporting factor to their theory or use it as a point of opposition. Regardless of whether they agree or disagree it is evident that Piaget’s theory is respected. Lawrence Kohlberg is one theorist who utilized Piaget 's theory to explain his theory of moral development. He uses Piaget 's stages to explain how a child develops the ideas of good and bad. He also comparably describes a higher level of internal knowledge and practice of ethical behavior and perception.
Piaget research focused on how children perceive the world around them.
He felt that these perceptions shaped children’s ability to develop knowledge. The research, data and analysis based theory has been used to design the basis of education for children all over the world. It has also shaped the opinions of what parenting should entail. Piaget’s influence can be seen in most if not all areas of development; however the greatest influence is on education. Piaget believed that children’s knowledge and more importantly the function of learning was to be cultivated through experiences, mistakes and opportunities to develop their ability to reason as the children themselves displayed they were ready for the experience and not a pre-determined schedule. He conceived that children would merge their knowledge as they transitioned from one stage to another, in a type of blending of thought process. Since Piaget believed children acquired their knowledge through the maturity process he saw his theory applicable to all cultures of society. The quality of Piaget’s theory provided the scientific community the ability to participate in a wide variety of studies on cognitive development all over the world. The Cross-Cultural research that has come to fruition from this theory has given the world the ability to more easily identify the similarities in diverse
cultures.
Jean Piaget theory has become a legacy in which past, present and future scientists, teachers and parents have and will evoke to cultivate a greater degree of understanding of the mind of children. The vision of providing the ultimate learning environment to nurture the minds of the future thinkers of the world lives on and so does Piaget’s theory.
Bibliography Anthony Giddens, M. D. (2013). Essentials of Sociology. New York, N.Y.: W.W.Norton & Company.
Berk, L. E. (2010). Exploring Lifespan Development. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Don Baucum, P. (2006). Barron 's EZ 101 Study Keys Psychology. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron 's Educational Series.
Juang, D. M. (2008). Culture & Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengag Learning.
Smith, L. (2000, November). A Brief Biography of Jean Piaget. Retrieved July 9, 2013, from Jean Piaget Society: http://www.piaget.org/aboutPiaget.html (Berk, 2010) (Juang, 2008)