Stage Two Preoperational Period Children think in terms of their own activities and what they perceive at that moment. Pre-before operations-work/learn Ages 2-7 yrs

Assimilation and accommodation Children form concepts in their minds Concepts: general categories of objects and information Dramatic cognitive changes occur during ages 3-6. This BIG change is due to the ability to use language and mental representation.

All things in the air are birds. Then they learn the difference between bird and plane Children first feel that all things in the air are birds and later learn the difference between a bird and a plane

These are all apples because they are red

The child knows that apples are read. When the child saw a red tomato, he/she assumed that it was an apple too. Children are actively constructing their own understanding of concepts and “operations” (such as cause and effect, number, classification, and logical reasoning).

Basic mental operations start replacing sensorimotor activities as the primary way to learn.

I “eated” my apple No, it’s “ate” Then I “ated” my apple Children learn mostly by language and mental images

The child learns a rule and applies it to all situations – “ed” means past tense; therefore “I eated”. Questions are hard because they are in opposite order – “what the dog is doing”. Negatives are often used to much – “I don’t never want no more spinach!” The more negatives, the more you don’t want to do something.

Articulation –children will substitute one sound for another for a period of time. - Spoken words are symbols used to represent something else. - Symbols in language are the hardest to understand because they are abstract (do not relate to what the represent.) - Language helps the thinking process because thinking is faster when we think in words.

Make-believe play is used to create and express all kinds of mental images

Increase in symbolic thought helps the child to be more imaginative. –For example, toddlers continually repeat the same “mistake” and figure things out through acting of objects and people, but children can think ahead and anticipate the consequences of their physical actions. This increasing ability to use mental representation allows children to make plans before taking action, and their activities take on a more purposeful, goal-directed character. Children’s increased capacities for symbolic thought are also apparent in the significant increase in their use of make-believe play, which becomes more elaborate and more cooperative. Engaging in socio-dramatic play, in turn, strengthens children’s memory, language, logical reasoning, imagination, and creativity. Pretend play is a step above imitation.

Everyone views the world like I do

Egocentrism The sun follows them from place to place and goes to bed when they do Problems with reversibility—can’t see the world from other's perspectives

Egocentrism limits the child’s ability to reason logically. –a. Belief that everyone thinks the same way they do –b. View world in relation to self May offer candy from their mouth because they are enjoying it When playing hide-and-go-seek, they assume that you can’t see their whole body if they can’t see you. Child giving his blanket to his mother when she is sad or sick, in the belief the object that comforts him with comfort her –c. Does NOT mean the children are selfish or too concerned with themselves---remember they look at parts rather than whole

Children are prone to thinking errors Just as a walking toddler is prone to missteps

I don’t want to go to sleep! I’m not tired! He hurt my feelings so I hit him! use feeling to solve problems rather than logic

Begin learning multiple classification ability to understand that an object may fit into more than one category Classifying animals Zoo Wildlife Ponds/rivers Ocean

Ages 2-4 years are in the preconceptual substage of Preoperational Able to form mental images of surroundings, but many of these are incomplete or illogical Have difficulty combining ideas or objects, placing them in order, and doing “if-then” thinking Are prone to thinking errors because they have just started thinking like adults No longer use senses and motor actions to learn about their environment Have a longer attention span

Begin learning seriation Group things by size, weight, or any common property For example Arranging beads on a bracelet from smallest to largest However preschool age children cannot arrange themselves by height

They think the same amount of liquid is more when poured into a tall thin glass. To them taller means more!

Another example of conservation

Conservation The preoperational child sees a tall beaker and think tall means more. The child does not see that the tall beaker is also thinner, and thus it hold the same amount of liquid as the original size beaker. A whole cookie broken into pieces appears to be bigger than an unbroken one. “My dad’s car is bigger than yours, so we can go faster.”

They have two kinds of reasoning 1. Synergetic-a break in logic, changing set of criteria Example: Mother usually makes dinner before dad comes home so making dinner causes dad to come home.

First, you put all of the white powder in a bowl. Then you pour milk into it. Stir and pour in metal cups that are hooked together. Now hurry and put in the oven because we are late for school.

A preschool child was asked to describe how to make muffins. This child thought that you are always late when making muffins because that is what happens a lot of time at his house. Children link actions without using logic. Mother usually makes dinner before dad comes home, so making dinner causes dad to come home. Talk about how children need structure, and routines. Children may ask a stranger on a plane, “Are you going to grandmothers, too?”

Intuitive reasoning—They guess!! Which line has more marbles? Why do you think they would choose the red marbles? Ages 4-7 are in the intuitive substage of preoperational a. Use feeling to solve problems rather than logic b. Children need help learning to think logically

My birthday is before Christmas and after Halloween

Relate time with events Ex. Time to eat lunch

Are we there yet? (And) Five more minutes? Time concepts are one of the last to develop They cannot see time passing by –there are no physical changes to the days of the week Five more minutes means more time to play. –They have no concept of how long 5 minutes will last.

Children may not be aware of what is real and what is make-believe

In general we learn: Children learn to master one skill before another Children learn in their own ways And not as adults do!!

You can tell a lot about cognitive development by looking at a child’s drawing

Drawing is not symbolic of anything Child enjoys the movement of the arm and hand Color is of little importance

Circle becomes recognizable and closed Lines appear in, on, and around circles Shape can be repeated if child so desires

-Arms and legs are added to circle -Drawings become symbolic of animals or people -Later, a nose, eyes, or other details are added -Drawing become a way to express and imagine -Basis for drawings is what the child remembers or senses, not what is actually seen at the moment

Forms, such as triangle, square, rectangle, and oval, are combined -Houses and people are popular themes -The most important person is usually drawn as the largest -Emotions are shown -Color becomes important -Color preferences may be shown -Drawing is based on what the child sees -Images can be reproduced

Remember that they draw things how they see them.

Is that a drawing of two caterpillars?

Never assume you know what a child has drawn. They have to good of an imagination. A safe way to find out is by saying, “Tell me about your drawing.”

Children will often draw first and then decide what it is. Always ask the student what their drawing is because you are usually way off if you try and guess. The student’s feelings might get hurt.

Any Questions?