1. PIAGET – WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?
Moya Fewson Senior Trainer
HighScope Canada

2. Jean Piaget

3. Who he was: Born in Switzerland 1896 to 1980
Had three children who were often his “subjects” for his theories
Worked for Binet Institute in Paris in 1920
Fascinated by how children think and was most interested in the mistakes they made on tests

4. What he believed
Jean Piaget believed that children were not just less competent thinkers than adults, he believed children actually think differently than adults
He believed the development of thinking is universal across all cultures
He believed we are born with basic mental structures such as sucking and that all other mental structures need to be created

5. More… He believed biology and environment affects learning
By interacting with people, objects and events children build ideas

6. Constructivist….!????
Piaget believed children construct their own knowledge based on their own experiences
He believed that the brain is a construction site and at times some parts are more active than other parts

7. Developmental Change New ideas are added to existing information
This is called assimilation
When we have processed this new information we have accommodation
While trying to understand the new information we are in a state of disequilibrium

8. CHILDREN MUST HAVE A CONCRETE EXPERIENCE IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE THE ORIGINAL THOUGHT

9. EXAMPLE:
CHILD KNOWS WHAT A CAT IS – HAS HAD CONCRETE EXPERIENCES WITH THEM

10. CHILD THEN SEES A SQUIRREL
IT IS LIKE A CAT, HAS LEGS AND EARS AND TAIL AND FUR – BUT IT IS A FUNNY CAT
THE CHILD EXPERIENCES DISEQUALIBRIUM

11. CHILD HAS NEW CONCRETE EXPERIENCES WITH SQUIRRELS (NOT TOO CONCRETE!)
HAS NOW ACCOMMODATED THIS NEW INFORMATION – “squirrel” is assimilated in his thinking
CHILD ONCE AGAIN HAS EQUALIBRIUM

12. LIKE OPENING A NEW FILE ON THE COMPUTER – AND HITTING SAVE AS!

13. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR PROGRAMS
Once a child has assimilated a new idea they need time to understand it to achieve accommodation. They understand the new information by holding it in their heads and representing it.
RE PRESENTING

14. HOW DO CHILDREN REPRESENT?
ACT OUT
DRAW
SING
DANCE/MOVE
BUILD
WRITE
TALK ABOUT

15. SINCE CHILDREN NEED CONCRETE EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO REPRESENT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THESE CONCRETE EXPERIENCES WITH PEOPLE, OBJECTS AND EVENTS

16. YOU CAN’T REPRESENT WHAT YOU HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED

17. WHEN?
ALTHOUGH CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO INFORMATION ABOUT HOLIDAYS ETC. AS THEY WATCH TV AND VISIT THE MALL THEY DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND THEM UNTIL THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED THEM!

18. VALENTINES DAY
WINTER CELEBRATIONS
SPRING CELEBRATIONS
HALLOWEEN
ST. PATRICKS DAY
THANKSGIVING
THESE EVENTS ARE ONLY REALLY UNDERSTOOD AFTER THE CHILD HAS HAD A CONCRETE EXPERIENCE WITH THE EVEN

19. SO – VIEW THE EVENT FROM THE CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE!
KEEP MATERIALS FOR REPRESENTATION OUT LONG AFTER THE EVENT HAS PASSED AND AS LONG AS THE CHILDREN ARE INTERESTED IN THEM
REMEMBER THE BRAIN – REPEATED EXPERIENCES ARE WHAT MAKE FOR GOOD NEURAL CONNECTIONS

20. 200 TIMES

21. PROVIDE A WIDE RANGE OF OPEN ENDED MATERIALS FOR CHILDREN TO REPRESENT WITH

22. GIVE TIME SO REPRESENTATIONAL PLAY CAN DEVELOP FROM SIMPLE TO COMPLEX, FROM CONCRETE TO ABSTRACT AND FROM THE HERE AND NOW TO THE FUTURE IN TIME AND SPACE

23. VALUE PLAY!
Thanks!