Cognitive Dev't and Language(Piaget's Theory)

Cognitive Development

andLanguage

Development

• It refers to a certain changes that occur in human beings between conception and death.

• It is not applied to all changes, but rather to those that appear in orderly ways and remain for a long period of time.

Aspects of Development

• Physical development - deals with the changes in the body.

• Personal development - changes in the individual’s personality.

• Social development - changes in the way how an individual relates to others.

• Cognitive development - changes in thinking.

Principles of Development

1.People develop at different rates.

2.Development is relatively orderly.

3.Development takes place gradually.

The Brain and Cognitive Development

• Cerebral cortex - the outermost layer of gray matter making up the superficial aspect of the cerebrum.

• Neuroscientists understand that brain development is related to the aspects of adolescence such as decision making and managing impulsive behaviour.

Areas or Lobes of the Brain

• Frontal Lobe- responsible for memory formation, emotions and thinking processes.

• Parietal Lobe- responsible for senses and integrates sensations.

• Temporal Lobe- responsible for hearing and information retrieval.

• Occipital Lobe- responsible for our visual capacity and capability.

Neurons

• Neurons sends messages to each other by releasing chemicals that jump across the tiny spaces called synapses.• These synapses can be seen

between the dendrites of one neuron and the axons of the other neurons.

Synaptic Overproduction

• Experienced-expectant – synapses are overproduced in certain parts of the brain during certain developmental periods.• Experienced-dependent –

synaptic connections are formed based on the individual’s experiences.

Tendencies in Thinking• Organization- ongoing process

of arranging information and experience into mental systems or categories.

• Adaptation- adjustment to the environment. Assimilation- fitting new

information into existing schemes. Accommodation- creating new

schemes in response to new information.

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive

Development

Sensorimotor Stage

Age: birth to 2 yearsCharacteristics:

Begins to make use of imitation, memory and thought.

Learns the concept of object permanence.

Moves from reflex actions to goal-directed activity.

Preoperational Stage

Age: 2 to 7 yearsCharacteristics:

Starts to use language Capable of thinking in the forms of

mental images and words Egocentric thinking or self-centered Difficulties seeing other’s point of

view

Concrete Operational Stage

Age: 7 to 11 yearsCharacteristics:

Increase ability to think logically Understands law of conservation

and is able to classify and seriate

Understands reversibility

Formal Operational Stage

Age: 11 to adultCharacteristics:

Can think in abstract terms Can solve problems systematically

and reason hypothesis Hypothetic-deductive reasoning Adolescent egocentrism

Implications of Piaget’s

Theory for Teachers

• More interested in understanding children’s thinking.• He believed that the main

goal of education should be to help children learn how to learn.• Student are the best sources

of information about their own thinking abilities

Understanding & Building on Student’s Thinking

Important implication of Piaget’s theory for teaching is what Hunt

years ago(1961) called

“the problem of the match”

What is the “Problem of the Match”?

• According to Hunt, disequilibrium must be kept “just right” to encourage growth. Setting up situation that lead to errors can help create an appropriate level of disequilibriumWhen students experience some conflict between what they think should happen

and what actually happens, they may rethink the situation and new knowledge

may develop.

Activity and Constructing Knowledge

The individuals construct their own understanding; learning is a constructive

process.

In his words:

Knowledge is not a copy of reality. To know an object, to

know an event, is not simply to look at it and make a mental

copy or image of it. To know an object is to act on it. To know is

to modify, and as a consequence to understand

the way the object is constructed.

As a general rule, student should act, manipulate, observe, and

then talk and/or write about what they have experienced.

The Value of Play• Maria Montessori said:–“Play children’s work”. • In games they learn cooperation, fairness, negotiation, wining and losing.

All important skills for work someday.

Without cooperation, there is no game.

Some Limitatio

ns of Piaget’s Theory

• Trouble with Stage– lack of consistency in

children’s thinking. • Underestimating Children’s Abilities – Underestimated the

cognitive abilities of children, particularly younger ones.

• Cognitive Development & Information Processing– Focus on the child’s developing

information processing skills such as attention, memory capacity, and learning strategies.

• Cognitive Development & Culture– Overlooks the important effects of the

child’s cultural and social group.

Funds of Knowledge

Knowledge that families and community members have acquired in many areas of

work, home, and religious life that can become the basis for

teaching.

The Development of

Language

Factors that play a role in language development:

• Biological• Cultural• Experiential

To master a language, children must:

a)Read the intentions of others so they can acquire the words, phrases, and concepts of their language and also

b)Find patterns in the ways other people use the words and phrases to construct the grammar of their language.

When And How Does Language Develop

• Sounds & Pronunciation– By about age 5, most children have

mastered the sounds of their native language, but a few sounds may remain unconquered.

• Vocabulary & Meaning– Expressive vocabulary- the words a

person can speak.

• Receptive vocabulary- the words a person can understand in spoken or written words.• Bilingual- Speaking two

languages and dealing appropriately with the two different cultures.

• Grammar & Syntax– Over regularize- to apply a

rule of syntax or grammar in situations where the rule does not apply.

• Syntax- The order of words in phrases or sentences

• Pragmatics: Using Language in Social Situations– Pragmatics- the rules for

when and how to use language to be an effective communicator in a particular culture

• Metalinguistic Awareness- Understanding about one's own use of language

Diversity In Language

Development

• Benefits of Bilingualism Higher degrees of bilingualism are correlated with increased cognitive abilities in such areas as concept formation, creativity, theory of mind, cognitive flexibility, and understanding that printed words are symbols of language. 

• Heritage language- the language spoken in the student's home or by members of the family.• Balanced bilingualism- adding a

second language. capability without losing your heritage language

• Emergent literacy-the skills and knowledge, usually developed in the preschool years, that are the foundation for the development of reading and writing.

The End