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

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…

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

Piaget: Preoperational Thinking Preoperational Intelligence Includes languages and imagination (in addition to the senses and motor skills of infancy) However, logical, operational thinking is not yet possible

Piaget: Preoperational Thinking Obstacles to Logical Operation Centration a young child focuses (centers) on one idea, excluding all others Egocentrism children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective Focus on Appearance a young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent

Piaget: Preoperational Thinking 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

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

Limitations of Piaget’s Research underestimated the conceptual ability of young children and infants… Designing 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

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

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

Vygotsky: Apprentices cont. 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

Vygotsk Children as Apprentices guided participation

Vygotsk Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) Scaffolding 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

Vygotsk Language as a Toll Private Speech Social Mediation 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

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

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

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

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

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

Language Critical Period Sensitive 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

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

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

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

Language Overregularization Grammar includes the structure, techniques, and rules that are used to communicate meaning 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

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

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

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.”

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

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

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?”