Piaget was the first psychologist to conduct a systematic study of cognitive development. Before Piaget not much research had been done about the way children think. It was just assumed that they were not able to think in the same complex ways as adults. In his study of children, he focused on the question "How does knowledge grow?" He proposed that cognitive development occurs through four distinct stages.
- sensorimotor (begins at birth): Knowledge is based on behaviors and perceptions. Children can't think about things that aren't immediately in front of them. They focus on what they are seeing and doing at that moment.
- preoperational (emerges at about age 2): Children can now think and talk about things beyond their immediate experience. They do not yet reason in logical, adultlike ways.
- concrete operations (emerges at about age 6 or 7): Adultlike logic appears but is limited to reasoning about concrete, real-life situations.
- formal operations (emerges at about age 11 or 12): Logical reasoning processes are applied to abstract ideas as well as to concrete objects and situations. They have the ability to learn advanced reasoning.
As a teacher it is important to think about these stages of development. Children do not all think in the same ways, and they do not think in the same ways as adults. I believe that is one of the most important things to remember when teaching. A child may not understand something in the same way or as easily you do. This proves the need teach in different ways and use methods that are best for the students.
