Jean Piaget developed the cognitive theory of development through observations of his own children and his numerous years in the field of child psychology. He proposed all children develop through four sequential stages or steps. The ages of each stage are subjective as they can vary among social environments. "Among children in the city of Tehran in Iran the ages are the same as the school children of Geneva. But the same questions asked of illiterate Iranian children in the mountains give answers which are three years later" (Piaget on Piaget). Regardless, every child will go through each of the sequential stages. Piaget's theory is valuable to an educator as "each stage is marked by new intellectual abilities and a more complex understanding of the world" (Piaget Cognitive Stages).
STAGE 1: SENSORIMOTOR STAGE (AGE 0-2)
At the beginning of the sensorimotor stage, children are only cognizant of what they can see in their immediate environment. Children at this stage also do not know how objects in their environment react, so these children are always learning through experimentation. For instance, they may put objects in their mouths or shake and throw things. Children reach an important milestone, object permanence, at 7 to 9 months. This means children understand an object continues to exist even if they cannot see it. During the sensorimotor stage, learning how to move (i.e. crawling, standing, walking) furthers children's' cognitive development. At the end of the sensorimotor stage, children also begin to develop basic language skills (Piaget Cognitive Stages).
STAGE 1: SENSORIMOTOR STAGE (AGE 0-2)
At the beginning of the sensorimotor stage, children are only cognizant of what they can see in their immediate environment. Children at this stage also do not know how objects in their environment react, so these children are always learning through experimentation. For instance, they may put objects in their mouths or shake and throw things. Children reach an important milestone, object permanence, at 7 to 9 months. This means children understand an object continues to exist even if they cannot see it. During the sensorimotor stage, learning how to move (i.e. crawling, standing, walking) furthers children's' cognitive development. At the end of the sensorimotor stage, children also begin to develop basic language skills (Piaget Cognitive Stages).
STAGE 2: PRE-OPERATIONAL STAGE (AGE 2-7)
During this stage children have acquired a broader understanding of language. They are able to recognize symbols, the alphabet and words although they lack the ability to logically reconstruct them. An example of this is found in children's drawings. They are egocentric and sees things from only their perspective. They are able to play make-believe. They do not grasp abstract concepts such as time, geometry, space and speed. In the Piaget's Preoperational Stage video, you will witness Elli's elaborate imagination when justifying one of her responses. When conducting the classical volume experiment pay close attention to Parker's answer. I also interviewed an 8 year old so you could compare his answers to the other two subjects.
STAGE 3: CONCRETE OPERATIONAL (AGE 7-11)
Children at the concrete operational stage are capable of logical, concrete reasoning but generally do not yet possess the ability to think abstractly or hypothetically. At this stage, children are less egocentric. They begin to understand that their thoughts and feelings are their own and not necessarily shared by others (Piaget Cognitive Stages).
STAGE 4: FORMAL OPERATIONAL (AGE 11+)
During this stage, which Piaget also referred to as hyptothetic-deductive operations, children are now able to reason based on hypotheses, and not only objects. They are able to construct new operations, which Piaget refers to as "propositional logic, and not simply the operations of classes, relations and numbers" (Piaget, 1964). During this stage, children use a combination of operations and systems which they have grasped in earlier stages. The implications of Piaget's work are evident in curriculum today. For example, he theorized that in the formal operational stage, children become capable of reasoning by using two systems of reference simultaneously, and this explains why children can understand the principle of proportions in mathematics. It is no coincidence therefore, that in the B.C. curriculum, proportions is a mathematical concept covered in grade 7 and 8.
Children at the concrete operational stage are capable of logical, concrete reasoning but generally do not yet possess the ability to think abstractly or hypothetically. At this stage, children are less egocentric. They begin to understand that their thoughts and feelings are their own and not necessarily shared by others (Piaget Cognitive Stages).
STAGE 4: FORMAL OPERATIONAL (AGE 11+)
During this stage, which Piaget also referred to as hyptothetic-deductive operations, children are now able to reason based on hypotheses, and not only objects. They are able to construct new operations, which Piaget refers to as "propositional logic, and not simply the operations of classes, relations and numbers" (Piaget, 1964). During this stage, children use a combination of operations and systems which they have grasped in earlier stages. The implications of Piaget's work are evident in curriculum today. For example, he theorized that in the formal operational stage, children become capable of reasoning by using two systems of reference simultaneously, and this explains why children can understand the principle of proportions in mathematics. It is no coincidence therefore, that in the B.C. curriculum, proportions is a mathematical concept covered in grade 7 and 8.