4 June 2001A briefing by MaryJane Kiefer

The Four Stages of Cognitive Development

• SENSORI-MOTOR STAGE (Birth to 2 years)

• PRE-OPERATIONAL STAGE (2 to 7 years)

• CONCRETE OPERATION STAGE (7 to 11 years)

• FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE (11 to ?? Years)

A theory of children’s thinking by Jean Piaget, 1950

4 June 2001A briefing by MaryJane Kiefer

The Four Stages of Cognitive Development

SENSORI-MOTOR STAGE (Birth to 2 years)

The child’s functioning proceeds from simple reflexive behaviors to the beginnings of early reasoning; necessary for pre-logical thinking and language.

6 Sub-stages:Reflexive BehaviorPrimary Circular ReactionsSecondary Circular ReactionsCoordination of Secondary SchemaTertiary Circular ReactionsBeginning of Thought

4 June 2001A briefing by MaryJane Kiefer

The Four Stages of Cognitive Development

PRE-OPERATIONAL STAGE (2 to 7 years)

The child develops the ability to represent objects and events (semiotic or symbolic function). The semiotic, or symbolic, function refers to the ability of a child to use one thing (a symbol or signifier) to stand for another (a significate); a signifier evokes a significate.

2 Sub-stages:Preconceptual SubstageIntuitive Substage

4 June 2001A briefing by MaryJane Kiefer

The Four Stages of Cognitive Development

CONCRETE OPERATION STAGE (7 to 11 years)

The child is able to perform mental operations but needs concrete objects to operate on. The transition from the preoperational stage to this one does not occur all at once, but rather over a period of time. Generally speaking, a concrete thinker can do things a preoperational thinker could not do.

4 June 2001A briefing by MaryJane Kiefer

The Four Stages of Cognitive Development

FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE (11 to ?? Years)

This child can now reason logically and no longer needs manipulatives to perform mental operations. This child can now mentally interact with verbally-stated hypotheses. The thought process of the child in the formal operation stage considers the possible as well as the real.This child approaches a problem;Considers all relations that may exist;Then proceeds to determine which ofThese relations are indeed true.

4 June 2001A briefing by MaryJane Kiefer

The Four Stages of Cognitive Development

Kids think differently from adults so it changed the curriculum.

Emphasized moral & social growth and intellectual development.

Thinking was emphasized, and so was active environment.

The teacher role was to provide an environment for learning.