Kathleen Stassen Berger Prepared by Madeleine Lacefield Tattoon, M.A. 1 Part III The Play Years: Cognitive Development Chapter Nine Piaget and Vygotsky Children’s Theories Language Early-Childhood Education

2 The Play Years: Cognitive Development …thinking and learning from age 2 to 6… …remarkable advances in language and thought… …the simple sentence of the typical 2-year- old that are nonstop, complex outpourings of a talkative 6-year-old, who can explain almost anything…

3 Piaget and Vygotsk …famous for their description of cognition… the eager learning of children… are compatible in many ways…

4 Piaget Piaget: Preoperational Thinking –preoperational intelligence cognitive development between the ages of about 2 and 6; it includes languages and imagination (in addition to the senses and motor skills of infancy), but logical, operational thinking is not yet possible

5 Piaget Obstacles to Logical Operation –centration a characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child focuses (centers) on one idea, excluding all others –egocentrism Piaget’s term for children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective –focus on appearance a characteristic of preoperational though in which a young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent

6 Piaget Obstacles to Logical Operation –static reasoning thinking that nothing changes: Whatever is now has always been and always will be –irreversibility the idea that nothing can be undone; the inability to recognize that something can sometimes be restored to the way it was before a change occurred

7 Piaget Conservation and Logic –conservation the idea that the amount of a substance remains the same (i.e., is conserved) when its appearance changes

8 Piaget

9 Limitations of Piaget’s Research –Piaget underestimated the conceptual ability of young children and infants… designing his experiments to reveal what children seemed not to understand, rather than to identify what they could understand relied on the child’s words rather than the child’s nonverbal signs in play context

10 Vygotsk Vygotsky: Social Learning –young children can be very sensitive to the wishes and emotions of others –young children have social thoughts

11 Vygotsk Children as Apprentices –cognitive development is embedded in a social context –curious and observant –ask questions

12 Vygotsk Children as Apprentices –apprentice in thinking a person whose cognition is stimulated and directed by older more skilled members of society –guided participation the process by which people learn from others who guide their experiences and explorations

13 Vygotsk Children as Apprentices –guided participation

14 Vygotsk Scaffolding –zone of proximal development (ZPD) the skills that a person can exercise only with assistance, not yet independently ZPD applies to the ideas or cognitive skills a person is close to mastering as well as to more apparent skills –scaffolding temporary support that is tailored to a learner’s needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process

15 Vygotsk Language as a Toll –private speech internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves (either silently or out loud) –social mediation a function of speech by which a person’s cognitive skills are refined and extended through both formal instruction and casual conversation

16 Children’s Theories Theory-Theory –the idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories

17 Children’s Theories Theory of Mind –a person’s theory of what other people might be thinking –children must realize that other people are not necessarily thinking the same thoughts that they themselves are thinking –the realization is seldom possible before age 4

18 Children’s Theories Belief and Reality: Understanding the Difference –a sudden leap of understanding occurs at about age 4 between age 3 – 6 children come to realize that thoughts may not reflect reality

19 Children’s Theories Contextual Influences –maturation of the brain’s prefrontal cortex appears to be the reason for the age-related advance in children

20 Language is pivotal to cognition in early childhood is the leading cognitive accomplishment in early childhood 24-month-olds begin this period with short sentences and limited vocabulary 6-year-olds end it with the ability to understand and discuss almost anything

21 Language critical period –a time when a certain development must happen if it is ever to happen sensitive period –a time when a certain type of development is most likely to happen and happens most easily

22 Language Vocabulary –new words are added rapidly at age 2 knows about 500 words at age 6 about 10,000 words

23 Language Fast-Mapping –the speedy and sometimes imprecise way in which children learn new words by mentally charting them into categories according to their meaning

24 Language Words and the Limits of Logic –logical extension used to describe other objects in the same category use of available vocabulary to cover all the territory they want to talk about

25 Language Grammar –grammar of language includes the structure, techniques, and rules that are used to communicate meaning –parts of grammar: word order and word repetition, prefixes and suffixes, intonation and emphasis –overregularization the application of rules of grammar even when exceptions occur, so that the language is made to seem more “regular” than it actually is

26 Language Learning Two Languages –bilingualism is an asset—a necessity –language-minority children are at a disadvantage (not the dominant language of the nation) –more likely to: do poorly in school feel ashamed become unemployed as adults –learning the majority language is crucial

27 Language –What is the goal of having a second language? research supports that children should learn at least two languages…the language-sensitive years of early childhood are the best time soon after the vocabulary explosion, young are able to master two languages—distinct sets of words and grammar Young children have difficulty with pronunciation in every language, but this does not slow down their learning of a second language

28 Language –Bilingualism, Cognition, and Culture “Since language is integral to culture, bilingualism is embedded in emotions of ethnic pride and fear. This reality hampers developmental research.”

29 Language Constant Change –The basics of language learning… –explosion –fast-mapping –overregularization –extensive practice …apply to bilingual learning –Languages continually change… –Negro to Black to African American –hip-hop; ; DVD; spam; blog; cell (phone); rap (music); buff (in shape) –other languages are basic English vocabulary – salsa, loco, amour

30 Early-Childhood Education –a hundred years ago children had no formal education until first grade –today 3 – 5-year-olds in developed nations are in school –early educational institutions differ, but names do not indicate the nature of the program

31 Early-Childhood Education

32 Early-Childhood Education Child-Centered Programs Montessori Schools The Reggio Emilia Approach Teacher-Directed Programs Intervention Programs Head Start Experimental Programs

33 Early-Childhood Education Costs and Benefits –quality early-childhood education matters –financial aspects are especially significant –parents pay the bulk of the cost or preschool in the United States –quality child care: safety adequate space and equipment low adult-child ratio positive social interaction among children and adults trained staff and educated parents continuity helps –“How long has each staff member worked at the center?”