| If we are to appreciate Piaget's influence on | | | | Fascinatingly, both childrens successful "potty-habits" |
| cognitive-developmental theory, we must begin by | | | | coincided with their respective peer-play interests. |
| acknowledging his theoretical orientation. Piaget's | | | | In my quest for a safe and encouraging preschool |
| system is developmental in that it examines the early | | | | environment, I found a private school that had special |
| processes infants and young children use to gain | | | | classes for every developmental level, infants up to |
| understanding of their environment and of the self. | | | | Kindergarten, with plans to begin adding a grade each |
| Piaget also uses a cognitive system as it is concerned | | | | year until sixth grade. The tuition was high, but well |
| with mental representation. In brief, Piaget believed that | | | | worth the investment, as the staff were clearly |
| children do not think like grownups. In his life work and | | | | devoted to their jobs and the facilities were in every |
| research, spanning almost 75 years, this Swiss | | | | way, kid friendly. When I learned that staff could bring |
| philosopher-psychologist-epistemologist sought to | | | | their children tuition free and that the school was |
| explain development in such a way as to avoid both | | | | looking for a caregiver for the infant room, and |
| preformation and environmental determinism. His early | | | | perhaps because I was missing the infant years I |
| work evolved around two essential questions: What | | | | enjoyed with my own children, I made the decision to |
| characteristics of children enable them to adapt to their | | | | apply. Within days, I found my own children happily |
| environment? And... what is the simplest, most | | | | assigned to their prospective age-developed classes |
| accurate and most useful way of classifying or | | | | just yards away from the nursery... the class where I |
| ordering child development? These questions give us | | | | would spend the next two years single-handedly |
| insight into Piaget's basic biological orientation. Further, | | | | caring for five babies, 8 to 10 hours a day. (Just as an |
| the answers he offers, assimilation (which involves | | | | aside... this cured all my "have-another-baby" longings. I |
| responding to situations in terms of activities or | | | | would later learn that the position I accepted had never |
| knowledge that have already been learned or that are | | | | been held by any other staff person for more than |
| present at birth) and accommodation (which involves | | | | four months... and when I left the position to teach |
| changing existing schemes to integrate new | | | | Kindergarten, the school had to change the class ratio |
| experiences) are a key feature of his theory. Piaget | | | | from 5 to 1, to 8 to 2, so that two staff members |
| believed the mind is an active participant in the learning | | | | were available to the infants at all times.) |
| process; when a child's experience fits with an existing | | | | The staff person I was replacing had to leave the job |
| mental framework, it is assimilating, when it does not fit, | | | | suddenly, taking her own 8-month-old out of the |
| the mind may accommodate the new experience. | | | | program, and the disruption for the group was quite |
| Finally, the interplay of assimilation and accommodation | | | | evident (i.e. confused and/or upset babies, all under |
| leads to the adaptation. This interplay or movement | | | | 9-months-old, equals much crying! Yikes!). The four |
| leading to adaptation demonstrates Piaget's "mobile" | | | | remaining babies had become quite attached to their |
| concept of intelligence. This concept greatly differed | | | | previous caregiver, making the transition with many |
| from the "fixed intelligence" in the traditional approach | | | | objectionary tears, and were not at all comforted by |
| of his time. | | | | the familiarity of one another. To give my new |
| The Stage Theory | | | | audio-adventure even more variety, a new "student," a |
| Piaget is probably best known for his work describing | | | | 6-week-old baby had arrived to fill the empty crib, |
| development in a progressive series of stages. Each | | | | making my class full and widening the spectrum of |
| stage represents the major identifying characteristics | | | | developmental needs. My responsibilities included |
| of children at that stage and the learning that occurs | | | | developing a lesson plan that incorporated individual |
| before the transition to the following stage. According | | | | and group play time, feeding times, changing times, nap |
| to Piaget, the child is in the Sensorimotor stage from | | | | times, and of course... time to write daily reports for |
| birth to approximately 2 years of age. In this stage, the | | | | each child to be ready for the parents when they |
| child's intelligence relies on self-discovery and on bodily | | | | arrived to take his/her child home. Although the |
| motion; children learn by using their senses as they | | | | "baby-dictators" over 9-months developed a rhythm |
| experience activities. This stage is followed by the | | | | for scheduled feeding times, more often than not, I |
| Preoperational stage, 2 to 7 years, when cognitions of | | | | worked according to their individual moods and |
| concepts and symbols are restricted to personal | | | | subsequent needs. As a rule, I witnessed and recorded |
| immediate experience. In other words, children judge | | | | significant developmental achievements (e.g. first |
| things by their appearance and begin to use symbols | | | | words, sitting up w/o assistance, hand-eye & |
| through the language they are acquiring. At the | | | | hand-mouth coordination tasks, pulling self up to |
| approximate ages of 7 through 12, the child begins to | | | | standing position, first steps, teeth, understanding social |
| think logically, moving to the Concrete Operations | | | | patterns of care giving such as "you're next," etc.). |
| stage. During this time, the child learns to classify and | | | | Although every child made these achievements at his |
| put items in sequence, and communicate through | | | | or her own individual readiness, they very often |
| concrete thinking. Next, from about ages 11 or 12 years | | | | followed the predictable developmental time lines as |
| and on, the child moves into the Formal Operations | | | | Piaget outlined. |
| stage, bringing forth systematic thinking that allows the | | | | While I admit that caring for the needs of five |
| growing child (or young person) to generate possibilities | | | | pre-walking children in one room is a challenge, it did |
| and logical solutions. Consequently, she/he can project | | | | prove to be a rich learning-research-discovery |
| into the future or recall the past in solving problems, as | | | | experience. Like Piaget, I had the opportunity to study |
| well as reason with analogy and metaphor. | | | | children through experiential observation, with one |
| Back to the Nursery | | | | discovery leading to the next. Further, when I read the |
| When my youngest child reached two years, she | | | | research and the theories presented to us by Piaget, I |
| demonstrated highly social behavior with her desire | | | | see (in my minds eye) infants and children acquiring |
| and her delight in playing with other children. Before this, | | | | and processing information in the various stages just |
| her primary playmate, her 4-yr-old brother was the | | | | as he forecasted. Like some of his critics, I sometimes |
| center of her world. This noticeable shift could be | | | | question Piaget's age limitation in terms of intellectual |
| attributed (in part) to the size-strength differences and | | | | capacities. In the lives of my own children, as well as in |
| style of play (e.g. my son was twice her size and was | | | | other children I have studied, I have noticed that children |
| becoming more "rough and tumble" oriented). However, | | | | are less egocentric than he thought achievable. |
| I also recognized my daughter's distinct growth-move | | | | Conclusion |
| from the Sensorimotor stage to the Preoperational | | | | Children are not miniature adults, instead, should be |
| stage. For her, this meant that she was no longer | | | | recognized as persons living in a period of dependence |
| interested in being her brother's playmate-slave and | | | | and preparation. Childhood is a time in which personality |
| she was no longer content in following him around. We | | | | structures and very often, lifelong habits are |
| met some other children in our neighborhood (in both | | | | constructed. Many theorists, including Piaget, believe |
| sizes) and my daughter translated that experience to | | | | that childhood lays the foundation for the remaining |
| having "his & her" friends. Her new found | | | | years of life. I have come to believe that the more we |
| independence and her desire for additional playmates | | | | can understand children, the more we will understand |
| led me to introduce her to the idea of preschool. | | | | ourselves. In my life, between the years of 24 and 43, I |
| Previously, my son and I participated in preschool | | | | spent a great deal of time raising children and teaching |
| playgroups; he too showed an interest in peer-play at | | | | children of all ages. These experiences cause me to |
| approximately 26 months old. However, he continued | | | | believe that children have unique thinking and learning |
| to be more interested in playing with adults until | | | | capabilities, distinct from adults and these distinctions |
| approximately 40 months or 3 ½ years-old. | | | | have only begun to be understood. |