Universes Collide
Cognitive Development
The cognitive development have many different theorists that can be focused on detaling how they see this stage as a form of development across lifespan. For this section I will dive into Piaget’s Cognitive theory which is comprised of four stages: Sensorimotor, preoperational thought, concrete operational thought and Formal Operational thought. All four stages are separate by age rages and details the type of thought, learned skills and types of play a child’s encounter. These four stages are universal stages that individuals progress through as they explore their environments and construct meaning through interactions. As well these stages can not be skipped or move in reverse making them hard stages.
This information relates to my development because as I grow up, I have been through all these stages as the are inevitable and from what I am learning I can see how these stages have helped me. As we grow, we learn more and more things and that makes us who we are and who we want to become the challenges that allow us to see the wonders of life and who we want to become and what makes us who we are. Like I’ve stated it is true that it is inevitable but what makes it unique is the power of what you learn as you develop and grow. For instance. I was able to have great teachers who pushed me and allowed me to succeed and excel to make the best of life. The older I got the more I was able to think and test certain things and makes stands for what I believe to be right. Now this is my experience, but what happens when not everyone is given this same freedom even if it is “inevitable”.
Applying this to my career as a teacher no matter what level I want to make sure that the children I teach are given the opportunity to not just grow through the phases of cognitive development but understand as they do. Just taking a moment to focus on the formal stage, not all children have the same opportunities and without those opportunities they are limited to the growth of their development and thinking. Yes, they have already learned the necessities and other things, yet they are not able to make connections with things and see the impact they can have on things in their lives. And when they go into the world, they lack certain skills and the confidence to make the best of every opportunity that is given to them. Why is that? That’s the main question. This is because we do not focus on the student, we do not let their creativity fly high and make the most of school and what it has to offer. We only focus on standardized testing and make sure that schools are up to par and never realize the talents that the students have. When I am a teacher, I want to make a balance between the two. Yes, testing is important but also the child and we have to understand that we want the child to succeed but never full understand them and what they are capable of. With different games and combinations of critical thinking I can allow my students to be creative and innovate in the classroom and grasp a more essential use of environment and the formal operant stage.
Sensorimotor
The sensorimotor stage is from ages 0-2 and the types of skills within this section would be Motor Schemas, Sensory info, and Imitation as well they learn objective permeance and language with their type of play being functional and constructive. Motor skills and sensory organs are the ways in which infants take in and experience the world during these first years of life. Infancy is a time of such growth and development that is further broken down into six substages.
Preoperational Thought
As children begin to develop language, they move into Piaget’s preoperational stage. Over the course of this stage, children gradually begin to understand symbols for concepts and can mentally represent those same concepts. This is from the age of 2-7 and symbolic play and make-believe play. Children in this stage also start to acquire the ability to classify objects into one-dimensional categories. As language develops, children start to understand what it means to be a “square,” “yellow,” or a “dog.”
Concrete Operational
Children in the concrete operational stage of development think and reason in concrete ways about concrete ideas. This means that they are limited by the information and materials that are immediately available. They tend to play with games with rules and this is forming the ages 7-11. Complex concepts can be broken down by providing materials for the students to explore and manipulate alone or in groups; with group work, though, it is always important to give very clear instructions and provide each child with a specific task to work on.
Formal Operational
The fourth stage is the formal operations as they acquire the ability to think abstractly. In all prior stages, children could only reason about either their immediate environments or concrete concepts; here, adolescents and adults can think about abstract ideals such as truth or justice that cannot immediately be quantified or observed this is from the ages 11 and up.
