Pre-operational Stage Piaget’s Pre-operational Stage 2-7 years of age (Jean Piaget 1896-1980) Revised: February 28, 2012

Piaget’s Preoperational Child (2-7 years) (Second Stage) lPiaget – Cognitive Stage Theorist Cognitive Development-processing of information Key features Not able to use logic Use symbols or mental representation Absence of sensory or motor cues Symbol, object, or word represent something not physically present Refer past & future events More flexibility & planning in problem solving Magical Thinking Years!!! Learn best – Play, Active Exploration, Hands-on Learning Slide 2 (Boy with cape/towel) Piaget – Cognitive Theorist Cognitive Development-processing of information ****Processing of information: Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood Key features Not able to use logic ****Not able to use logic: The child's perception of events and objects is highly influenced by how the child "SEES" the event rather than on the logical assessment of the event. What he sees is what he believes. Use symbols or mental representation Absence of sensory or motor cues Symbol, object, or word represent something not physically present *****Example: child might be observed feeding her doll imaginary cereal or drawing a picture of the balloons at her last birthday party. Refer past & future events More flexibility & planning in problem solving

Immature Aspects of Preoperational Thought (Piaget) Ability to reason - developing Flaws or immature aspects Centration Inability to decenter Irreversibility Fail to understand action can be reversed Focus on states rather than on transformations Fail to understand significance of transformation between states Transductive reasoning Do not use deductive or inductive reasoning Ability to reason - developing Flaws or immature aspects Centration Inability to decenter **Example Jacob teases his younger sister that he has more juice than she does because his juice box has been poured into a tall, skinny glass, but hers has been poured into a short wide glass. Or Child becomes fearful watching dad put on a mask – centers on mask and not on who is under mask - dad. Irreversibility Fail to understand some action can be reversed Example: Able to restore to original state; Jacob does not realize that the juice in each glass can be poured back into the juice box from which it came, contradicting his claim that he has more than his sister Focus on states rather than on transformations Fail to understand the significance of the transformation between states Example: In a conservation task (two things are equal even when appearance is altered) Jacob does not understand that transforming the shape of a liquid (pouring it from one container into another) does not change the amount. Transductive reasoning Do not use deductive (reach a conclusion by reasoning) or inductive (to induce or to persuade) reasoning; instead jump from one particular to another and see cause where none exists. Example: Jacob was mean to his sister. Then she got sick. Luis concludes that he made his sister sick.

Immature Aspects of Preoperational Thought (Piaget) (Flaws or errors continued) Egocentrism Assume everyone else thinks, perceives, and feels as they do. Animism Attribute life to inanimate objects Inability to distinguish appearance from reality Confuse what is real with outward appearance Teachers-Understanding preoperational thinkers -Insights, perspectives and patience Egocentrism Assume everyone else thinks, perceives, and feels as they do. Example: Kara doesn’t realize that she needs to turn a book around so that her dad can see the picture she is asking him to explain to her. Instead, olds book directly in front of her, so only she can see it. Animism Children attribute life to inanimate objects Example: Amanda says that spring is trying to come but winter is saying, “I won’t go! I won’t go! Inability to distinguish appearance from reality Confuse what is real with outward appearance Example: Courtney is confused by a sponge made to look like a rock. She states that it looks like a rock and it really is a rock. Teachers-Understanding preoperational thinkers -Insights, perspectives and patience

Language Acquire new words rapidly Reference to past & future Age two – 50 to 400 words Between 3 & 5 years, 50 new words per month Age three – 1000 words Age six – 8-14,000 words Reference to past & future Forming past & future tenses, plurals Acquire grammatical rules of their language Error called overregularization may occur Overuse basic rules of language Use correct syntax How words should be ordered to convey a particular meaning Rule of syntax – order of words – phrase or sentence Acquire new words rapidly Age two – 50 to 400 words Between 3 & 5 years, 50 new words per month Age three – 1000 words Age six – 8-14,000 words Reference to past & future Forming past & future tenses, plurals Acquire grammatical rules of their language Error called overregularization may occur Overuse basic rules of language ***Example, a 2 ½ or 3-year-old may say, “I bringed my puppy,” or “My feets are cold.” Use correct syntax How words should be ordered to convey a particular meaning Rule of syntax – order of words – phrase or sentence ***Example: In English – Happy Mother’s Day but in Spanish, Felix Dias de los madres

Gender Identity – Preschool Age Develops early Awareness-one’s femaleness or maleness Tied to self-concept Gender constancy realization gender stays the same regardless of how one looks or behaves. Sex-appropriate toys “Boys” & “girls” toys (trucks, dolls) Gender segregation increases Play same-sex peers Anti-bias Approach Address stereotypes, social justice Develops early Awareness-one’s femaleness or maleness Tied to self-concept Gender constancy realization gender stays the same regardless of how one looks or behaves. Sex-appropriate toys “Boys” & “girls” toys (trucks, dolls) Gender segregation increases Play same-sex peers Anti-bias Approach Address stereotypes, social justice ***Example “Girls can’t play here.” or “Boys can’t play with dolls.” Okay for boys to wear “traditional girl dress up clothing” vice versa.

Preoperational-Social Interactions Increasingly reciprocal, coordinated, more complex Experiment in everyday & imaginary roles Engage in play! Reflected in play – stages Least to most socially complex Nonsocial activity (onlooker and solitary) Parallel play Associative play Cooperative play Advances in cognition, perspective taking, and communication skills

Differences in Children Most typical development Some significant delays & differences Identified – developmental disabilities Child with a disability First and foremost a child All children are typical in many ways Instead of ‘disabled child’, ‘child with a disability’

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (Lev Vygotsky 1896-1934)

Vygotsky Developing his theories same time as Piaget (20’s & 30’s) Theories incomplete – death at young age Social interaction - fundamental role - development of cognition Like Piaget, children learn through play!! Emphasis-studied cultures and societies How they approach problem solving

Zone of Proximal Development Level at which a child can almost but not fully perform a task independently, but can do so with the assistance of someone more competent such as a parent, teacher or even older child. Level at which a child can almost but not fully perform a task independently, but can do so with the assistance of someone more competent such as a parent, teacher or even older child. ****Within the psychological space ZPD that most learning occurs according to Vygotsky.

Vygotsky Video on Zone of Proximal Development Scaffolding http://youtu.be/Zu-rr2PRNkE Scaffolding Supports learning & problem solving Encourages independence & growth Simple to complex skill building Scaffold removed when child can do job alone Scaffolding Supports learning & problem solving Encourages independence & growth Simple to complex *** the less able a child is to do a task, the more scaffolding, or support an adult must give. As child can do more and more, the adult helps less and less. When child can do job alone, the adult takes away the scaffold that is no longer needed ***Example, child learning to float on back, parent puts both hands under back and then just one hand, then fingertips, and finally removes hand (or the scaffold)

Learning Styles As a student, learning about and understanding your own learning style and the differences between learning styles can be helpful as you develop strategies for classroom learning and for how to present curriculum to children who learn best through hands-on active exploration of materials (kinesthetic learners.) As you identify and reflect on your learning style, you will be more aware of how to develop strategies to compensate for the areas that you want to improve as a learner and make the most of your strengths.  

Visual Learners (Learn through seeing): These learners need to see the teacher's body language and facial expression to fully understand the content of a lesson. They tend to prefer sitting at the front of the classroom to avoid visual obstructions (e.g. people's heads). They may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays including: diagrams, illustrated textbooks, overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and handouts.  During a lecture or classroom discussion, visual learners often prefer to take detailed notes to absorb the information.

Auditory Learners (learn through listening): They learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through and listening to what others have to say. Auditory learners interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. Written information may have little meaning until it is heard. These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape recorder.

Kinesthetic Learners (Learn through, moving, doing and touching): Tactile/Kinesthetic persons learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration.

Learning Styles Reflect on the following questions to discover insights about your learning style: 1.      How could knowing your learning style be of benefit to you personally? 2.      How can it be helpful in your interactions with others? 3.      How do you think this could help you in your studies? 4.      How do you think this could help you during lectures? 5.      How do you think this could help you when taking notes? 6. After identifying your learning style, is there anything your instructor might do differently in presenting information each week to help you learn the information?