Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who spent five years studying and determining the cognitive development of children. His research has had significant contributions in regard to the process of education among children as well as significant effects on the psychology and science of child development (Babakr & Mohamedamin, 2019). Piaget’s theories related to the way in which children construct knowledge has provided the theoretical framework for constructivist learning theory (Metha & Webb, 2016). To reiterate constructivist learning theory, it advocates a participatory approach to learning which implies two principles; knowledge is not passively received but actively built up by the cognizing subject; the function of cognition is adaptive according to the experiential world, not to the discovery of ontological (relating to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being) reality (Von Glaserfeld, 1989, as cited in Fernando & Marikar, 2017). Piaget’s four global cognitive developmental stages for children are; sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and the formal operational stage (Martin et al., 2010).  

How did the person help change education during this later period?

According to Hinde and Perry (2007), Jean Piaget’s influence on the 20th century is indisputable. One of the main reasons teachers themselves resonate with Jean Piaget’s cognitive theories is that they provide evidence-based arguments opposing pedagogical practices and curriculums that they believe to be unsuitable for their students, as well as furnish justification to dispute or support educational reform. Piagetian theory is also heavily accentuated in elementary and early childhood teacher preparation programs. An example of how a teacher could use Piagetian theory would be for them to consider how they deliver certain types of content; in what ways can the teacher activate students’ prior knowledge of the concepts presented; how can the teacher encourage meaningful connections between the content presented and students’ present lives? 

Within the structure of Piaget’s cognitive theory is the construct of equilibration, which he claims has an imperative role in cognitive theory. Equilibration is the balance of two other processes which are assimilation and accommodation (Bormanaki & Khoshhal, 2017). Assimilation, according to Pritchard and Wollard (2010) is the collecting and classifying of new information, and accommodation refers to the process of changing internal structures of knowledge to have consistency with external reality (Yang, 2010). In other words, a developing mind is constantly seeking equilibration; the balance between what is currently known and the new knowledge related to what is currently being experienced. However, for children who are still developing different schemas, which are the notional representations of what an individual knows, there can be confusion (2017). An example of this is that a child has a cat; the child knows a cat as an animal that is furry and has four legs; the child then sees a dog and calls it a cat because the child does not understand that the dog is different from the cat, thus cognitive disequilibrium is created. The child must then adjust their understanding of animals to be consistent with reality. So why is this important to educators and educational theorists? Because the processes that accompanies equilibration (assimilation and accommodation) can be enhanced by consistently posing new problems. Introducing these new problems leads to the construction of actions (operations) upon the previous actions (operations) and this creates a refined transitional process (Piaget, 1977, as cited in Bormanaki & Khoshhal, 2017) between assimilation and accommodation, which then leads to a child who has higher levels of equilibration and self-regulation (Piaget, 1964, as cited in Bormanaki & Khoshhal, 2017).

Do you think the person’s influence will still be seen 75 years from now? Why or why not?

I do believe Jean Piaget’s influence will be seen 75 years from now. Just as we look to other past educational theorists from the 1600’s, 1700’s and 1800’s, (John Locke, Horace Mann, and Catherine Beecher) educational theorists (and educators) will look at Jean Piaget’s theories hundreds of years from now as well. Educational theory does not have a singular meaning; however, Hirst (1966) describes it as a body of scientific knowledge on which rational educational judgements rest, and is then also used for the whole enterprise of building a body of rational principles for educational practice. Therefore, educational theory is a starting point or a building block which can be used to begin to understand certain aspects of student behavior and cognition that are involved in the learning process, as well as delineates methods of teaching that may be more, or less, useful in the teaching process. We, as humans, have much to learn and gain from those individuals who theorized and philosophized in the past, which is exactly why we take classes on, and study, the history of various types of subject matter. The past offers us keys to the future.

References

Babakr, Z. H., Mohamedamin, P., & Kakamad, K. (2019). Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory: Critical Review. Education Quarterly Reviews, 2(3), 517–524. 

Bormanaki, H. B., & Khoshhal, Y. (2017). The Role of Equilibration in Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development and Its Implication for Receptive Skills: A Theoretical Study. Journal of Language Teaching & Research, 8(5), 996–1005. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0805.22 

Fernando, S. Y. J. N., & Marikar, F. M. M. T. (2017). Constructivist Teaching/Learning Theory and Participatory Teaching Methods. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 6(1), 110–122. 

Hinde, E. R., & Perry, N. (2007). Elementary Teachers’ Application of Jean Piaget’s Theories of Cognitive Development during Social Studies Curriculum Debates in Arizona. Elementary School Journal, 108(1), 63–79. https://doi.org/10.1086/522386 

Hirst, P. H. (1966) ‘Educational Theory’, in J. W. Tibble (ed.) The Study of Education, pp. 29–58. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Martin, G. N., Carlson, N. R., & Buskist, W. (2010). Psychology. Great Britain: Pearson. 

Metha, A. & Webb, D. L. (2016). Foundations of American Education (8th ed.). Pearson.  

Pitchard, A., & Wollard, J (2010). Psychology for the classroom: constructivism and social learning (1st ed.). Oxford: Routledge: Taylor & Francis.

Yang, Y.F. (2010). Cognitive conflicts and resolutions in online text Revisions: three profiles. Educational Technology and Society, 13(4), 202-214.