-
8/3/2019 Child Development Learning How Children Think
1/6
In the study of Child Development learning how children think has become the basis of what
helps teachers decide how children learn through play and their environment on a daily basis.
Two theories have helped pave the way in breaking down the developmental processes required.
Jean Piaget according to Mooney (2000) was really an epistemologist. (p. 59). He studied what
knowledge was and how it begins. Jean Piaget believed that children learned about their world
through stages. He thought that they learned by building steadily upon the knowledge of each
stage. They take what they have learned and use it to reevaluate and relearn things about the
world around them. Lev Vygotsky was also another theorist that made an impact in child study.
He thought that children relied on the adults and peers around them. He felt that children had to
learn through interacting with their social environment. Even though they sometimes seemed
distinctly different they each made valid points that has helped improve child developmental
studies today.
Jean Piaget introduced the clinical method during his later studies. This method focused on the
way children answered questions when presented with a problem. The person in charge of the
test would ask a child a number of questions to see if the child would realize how to solve the
problem. If it seemed the child was having difficulty then the questions were rephrased and
asked again. This let observers see how children processed information in order to learn.
In Piagets view children did not just take in material. He believed that they were excited to learn
and that they themselves played a part in their learning process. He also believed that children
were able to adapt better at their environments. This made learning easier for them. Sometimes
children reached a point where they are not able to make sense of some things until they learn
what is needed before. This situation he called disequilibrium. An example of this would be a
child who has not learned the correct sounds of the alphabet. If the child does know the correct
-
8/3/2019 Child Development Learning How Children Think
2/6
sounds of the alphabet they will have difficulty with word recognition. If children are taught
phonics at an early age then they would be able to recognize the words with a little more ease
when they are learning to read. The learning of phonics will help them with sounding out the
words.
Piaget believed that children had a way of organizing what they learned that helped them to
process information. This process of organization called schemes include filtering or
modification of input-assimilation; modification of internal schemes to fit reality is called
accommodation. (Inhelder, 2000, p.6).
When children interact with their peers they learn to think logically about situations. As a young
child children have a form of egocentrism that keeps them from seeing anyones perspective but
their own as they grow up and interact more then they learn how to use the perspective of others.
Also as a childs brain matures they learn more and they are able to learn in different ways.
Piaget theorized four stages that a child must go through in order for them to reach full cognitive
development. Piagets stages of development are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete and
formal operations. These four stages of Piaget categorize child development.
The Sensorimotor stage starts at birth. He believed that a lot of the behaviors of a newborn were
ingrained to help them live and function outside of the womb. Children responded primarily to
stimuli and most of all they did was by reflexes. In this stage children gained object permanence
where they eventually learned that just because an object disappeared it could still be there. It
was no longer out of sight out of mind. They also learn a lot through trial and error. A child that
cries realizes that he or she will get what they want. As they get older they realize that their cries
no longer have the same effect so they try to learn how to talk in order to ask for what they want.
-
8/3/2019 Child Development Learning How Children Think
3/6
Some of the limitations of this stage are that children only think about things in their present
environment. They do not have the capacity or think of what might be happening later.
The preoperational stage is from the ages of two to seven. This is a stage when children do a lot
of pretend play. They mimic adults and situations of how the world works around them i.e.,
doctor or teacher. Children in the preoperational stage also have an increase in their vocabulary
during this time. They are not able to think logically about certain situations. The children may
get answers right during this stage but a lot of time they are just guessing. For example a child
may take play dough out of a container and flatten it. The child does not realize that the same
flattened play dough is actually the full amount that was in the container. They do not have the
thought process of conservation.
The Concrete operations stage is around the age of seven. During this stage children have
become more in tuned to the feelings of others. They are able to classify objects into different
groups and realize that just because an object is in one group does not mean that it cannot be in
another group of similar properties. Children at this stage are able to think more logically but still
are unable to interpret the meaning of some things i.e., algebra and discussions about
astronomical units.
In Piagets last stage known as Formal operations a child is usually around the age twelve.
Children in this stage are able to think about things that are not presently there. They are able to
come up with conclusions to problems and figure out alternative ways to make a decision. A
limitation to this stage is that even though a child can come up with a brilliant answer to a
solution does not mean it will work. Usually children at this age are very idealistic about the way
the world is supposed to work. Piagets stages made understanding the way children learned
-
8/3/2019 Child Development Learning How Children Think
4/6
some things easier. You are able to see the definitive qualitative changes over time. One of the
downsides to his description of cognitive development was that he did not take in to account of
the environment and culture of a child. Piaget also failed to account for the working memory of
the brain according to Case (1985), important for cognitive development. (p. 205).
A childs development of reasoning skills can be affected by their culture if in that culture they
value certain things over others. A childs culture may not influence mathematical skills if they
dont see it as important. They may feel that the beauty of arts or music, beauty that can be
brought to the world is more important than something analytical. Also the prior knowledge or
experience that a family member may have can greatly affect the way a child learns. If the child
has a mother who is illiterate then that child may have a problem with reading if they do not get
proper help.
Lev Vygotsky thought that children learned better through their environment. He believed that if
adults would help the kids acquire knowledge, then the child with adult help would soon be able
to answer some things on their own. He also believed that if children were taught to learn in a
nurturing environment they would be more apt to learn. Vygotsky believed that children were
able to learn with the use of a cognitive tool which would help the child make sense of their
environment. An example of cognitive tools are books and computers and for the youth of today
more and more are using iPads which are being used in classrooms to promote learning through
play.
When thought and language merge it creates a chance for the child to talk themselves through a
task that may be very challenging. By internalizing which comes from inner speech kids are able
to talk themselves through a situation and make the best of it. An example of this is when two
-
8/3/2019 Child Development Learning How Children Think
5/6
children may have an argument. The child has to decide what the best way to handle the
disagreement is. It depends on how the child talks himself through the situation as to if they will
let a small problem become out of control.
Children that challenge themselves during play allow themselves to go further than what they
normally would. The challenge gives them real experiences and helps them with problem-
solving skills. When they are challenged they have to come up with a solution that can help
them. A child with assistance can challenge themselves and the adult can help them if the child
becomes stuck on how to handle the problem. The zone of proximity is a term for the range of
task that a child can complete independently. (Wikipedia) Vygotsky believed that a child would
not challenge themselves if they are doing something that can be done independently. A teacher
can help children during scaffolding by providing them with tools to assist them. On a math test
the teacher can provide a calculator if she feels that they are unable to complete the work without
it. This is scaffolding, because as the child learns the math problems the teacher will gradually
remove the tools she has given the student until they no longer need them.
Play provides children a chance to act out and learn through things they have seen in their
environment. Children imaginatively take on the roles of different characters, in doing so
children imitate or try to imitate actions they have mentally symbolized from situations observed
days or even weeks earlier. (Hockenbury&Hockenbury, 2010 p. 393.)
In guided participation children get to participate in adult activities while receiving help from the
adults. Some activities such as a home economics class can let children learn life skills such as
cooking or sewing. In apprenticeships children receive more challenging work and the adults
-
8/3/2019 Child Development Learning How Children Think
6/6
only assist with learning for a short while and afterwards only when needed. Most
apprenticeships are when children start to think about career decisions.
Where Piaget believed in a child learning from their own skills or things they obtained without
help, Vygotsky believed that children learned with the help of the adults in their environment.
Piaget believed that children were self-motivated and eager to learn whereas Vygotsky thought
that children explored their surroundings to learn. Piaget did not take in to effect that culture
played a difference whereas Vygotsky did. They both had arguable points and even though they
had considerable differences they also centered on main points as well. They both agreed that a
child had to be ready cognitively in order to processes some situations. They also both agreed
that a child must challenge themselves in order to succeed at one level in order to go to the next.
If the child never challenged themselves they were unable to improve their cognitive thinking
skills.
As lab managers at JPL discovered, object play with the hands creates a brain that is better
suited for understanding in solving problems of all sorts. (Brown, 2009, p.86) In order to build
knowledge of the alphabet I would let my students form letters with clay. This will allow them to
not only hear the letters as we say them, but also learn how to manipulate them. This will help
give them a memory of forming the letters when it comes time to write them. Another way that I
will help my students learn through play is when learning about our neighborhood we will
discuss the buildings in our area. The children will have the opportunity to make houses out of
Legos. This will give them a visual description or symbol of what a house is compared to a
skyscraper. In my classroom we would focus a lot of our work using manipulatives and taking
field trips to the museum to see how our city has built up over time. I believe with these
cognitive tools I can help my younger students succeed early in life.