Wednesday, August 9, 2006
joyeux anniversaire
Today is the 110th birthday of Jean Piaget, a Swiss philosopher/educator who studied and wrote about the development of intelligence and understanding in children. I am particularly fond of his description of the fact that before two, a child simply cannot judge whether a tall thin cup and a short wide cup hold the same amount of liquid. Reading some of his studies and work is both enjoyable and fascinating. Basically, he divided cognitive development into four stages:
Anyway, there's a Piaget Society and lots of books, not to mention many references and discussions on the internet.
-birth to 2, during which children learn and experience through their senses and movementObviously there are variations depending on a child and his/her teaching, but it's fascinating that it's not just how we learn but the fact that there is a physical component, and therefore we (a) simply cannot learn some things at one time or another, and (b) can learn some other things optimally when ways of processing and understanding are at their peaks.
-2 to 6/7, during which they acquire motor skills
-6/7 to 10-12, during which they begin to think logically about concrete events, and
-10-12 onwards, during which they develop abstract reasoning
Anyway, there's a Piaget Society and lots of books, not to mention many references and discussions on the internet.
Permalink | 
| posted by jau at 12:24 PM
jau — at 9:23 AM, August 10, 2006:
| posted by jau at 12:24 PM
2 more:
jau — at 9:23 AM, August 10, 2006:
I totally agree with you. It's silly and just plain frustrating to ignore the fact that development develops! And it's a good point that it can probably be damaging, too
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It's also interesting to note when children reach a higher stage. I've always like the ability of abstract reasoning. It's pretty neat talking with a kid and realizing, "Yes, he/she understands abstract concepts."
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