Piaget’s cognitive development theory
There are many theories that try to explain the steps in how children learn. Piaget’s stages of cognitive development theory seems to fit particularly well in explaining how children within the 2 to 5 years age range learn.
Piaget states that a key feature of this age group is curiosity and that this makes them active and motivated learners. Instead of passively observing the toy, the child will engage with it, possibly dropping it, touching it or even tasting it to learn more about what it does. We know that children who are anxious or fearful will find it hard to be motivated to learn and explore.
Secondly, children of this age use the experiences gained from these interactions to build knowledge. They continually add to their knowledge and as they do so they organise their knowledge into categories or schemes as they seek to make sense of the world. A scheme is a group of similar actions or thoughts.
Thirdly, when a child comes across a new event they assimilate it in a way that that fits in with an existing scheme. For example, a toddler may assimilate a new ball into the scheme of toys that can be thrown.
However, it may also be necessary for the child to modify the existing scheme as her experience of the world broadens. For example, when visiting a bowling alley and a child sees that not all balls can be thrown easily, some have to be rolled. This modification is known as accommodation.
According to Piaget, formation of schemes, assimilation and accommodation occur mainly through experimenting and manipulating physical objects at this age, but social interactions allow for different perspectives, opinions and new ways to approach a task or event.
Select the buttons below to see how children form an understanding of their world.
Initial Schema: The child begins to develop an understanding of what a dog is from a picture book or her carer. The parent or carer reads, "this is what a dog looks like".
Schema Forming: The child experiences disequilibrium because the child has no prior knowledge of what a dog is. The child is actively constructing a schema about dogs on what she has been told. The child assimilates information and returns to a state of equilibrium. The child now knows a dog has ears, four legs and a tail.
Assimilation Process: The child expands her understanding by observing a dog in the park. When the child interacts with the dog, the dog barks, licks the child and is furry. These qualities are not in the original dog schema and so the child is now in disequilibrium. The child asks the parent or carer if this is a dog and when told yes the child assimilates these new qualities into their original schema and achieves equilibrium again. The new dog schema now has these qualities; a dog has ears, 4 legs, a tail, barks, licks and is furry.
Accommodation: When the child sees a cat she may first assume it's a dog as it fits in with the dog schema. The cat then meows and climbs a tree which are new qualities for a dog. The child asks the parent or carer if this is a dog and is told 'no it's a cat'.
New Schema Formed: The child must now accommodate a new schema for cats which has the following qualities; 4 legs, ears, tail, meows, licks, furry and climbs. Accommodation has occured and a new schema is formed.
