Developmental Stages
and Stories
Week 2 Nam Joon Kang
Techniques working with under 12s 2015
The four stages of cognitive
development
Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2yrs.)
Preoperational stage (2 to 7 yrs.)
Concrete operations stage (7 to 11yrs.)
Formal operations stage (11 ~ )
Cognitive Development:
Origin of Piaget’s Theory of Development
Behaviori
sm
Psychoanla
ysis
Constructivi
st
Stages of
Developme
ntal
Fundamental Aspects of Human
Development, According to Piaget
• Children are active agents in shaping their own
development, that is, children’s behavior and development
are motivated largely intrinsically rather than extrinsically.
Cognitive
Adaptation
Adapt to their
environment. Will do
a gradual
understanding of the
world
Organismic
world view
Children as
inherently
active,
continually
interacting
with the
environment,
Constructivist
theory
Children are
active in
developing or
constructing
their worlds,
Adaptation:
assimilation and accommodation
• Using already existing knowledge
in learning new things
Assimilation
• Use existing scheme to deal with
the unfamiliar object, people.
• Modify or change their schemas,
or ways of behaving and
Accommodation
thinking, in order to adjust to a
new situation.
Functional
invariants
They don’t
change but use
as scheme
The four stages of cognitive
development
Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2yrs.)
Preoperational stage (2 to 7 yrs.)
Concrete operations stage (7 to 11yrs.)
Formal operations stage (11 ~ )
Sensorimotor stage
(birth to 2yrs.)
Most impressive and dramatic areas of development
• Motor development
Develop of thought in action
• Mind: infant’s action on the objects and people
• Pulling a cloth to obtain an out-of-reach toy
• They learn that objects continue to exist even though they cannot be
seen or heard.
Able to reason through thought as well as through action
Preoperational stage
(2 to 7 years)
Solve practical, concrete problems
• By the intelligent use of means ends problem-solving, the use of tools, requesting
objects, asking for things to hapeen, and other means
Communicate well and represent information and ideas by means of symbols
• In drawing, symbolic play, gesture, and particularly speech.
Egocentric: find it difficult to see things from another’s point of view)
Animism in their thinking: they ten to attribute life and lifelike qualities to
inanimate objects: is the sun alive? Of course, otherwise, it wouldn’t follow.
Centration: the focusing or centering of attention on one aspect of a
situation to the exclusion of others.
conservation task: conservation of numbers.
Early symbolic representation (2~3 yrs.)
• Deferred imitation, the imitation of an activity hours or days after it
occurred. (Jacqueline’s case, begins to occur at the late sensori
motor stage)
• Two types of internal representations: symbols and signs.
• Symbols (idiosyncratic representations intended only for one’s
personal use)
• Signs (conventional representations intended for communication)
• Children frequently use symbols: particular piece of cloth to
represent their pillow or popsicle stick to represent a gun. Physically
resemble the object they represent.
• Signs, by contrast, often do not resemble the objects or events they
signify. Numbers and letters.
• The transition from personal to publicly accepted representations is
not easy.
Egocentric communication
• Between ages 4 and 7 years, speech becomes less egocentric.
• The playmate is at least paying attention to a perspective
other than his own.
• Some children also are aware of the symbolization process
and find it interesting in its own right.
• When I say ‘chair’, I’m going to mean ‘milk’; could you give
me a glass of chair?”
• Mental imagery, language is a way of representing objects
and events.
Limitation of pre-operational period
• Egocentrism:
• ‘three mountain tasks’: they cannot imagine the view from
other positions’ it centers on individual, perceptually striking
features of objects, to the exclusion of other, less striking
features.
‘three mountain tasks’
• Centration: the concepts of time and velocity.
which toy train runs faster, longer time, or the father distance.
Most 4 & 5 only focused on the stopping point without
thinking of starting point.
Preoperational stage (2 to 7 years)
Solve practical, concrete problems
• By the intelligent use of means ends problem-solving, the use of tools, requesting
objects, asking for things to hapeen, and other means
Communicate well and represent information and ideas by means of symbols
• In drawing, symbolic play, gesture, and particularly speech.
Egocentric: find it difficult to see things from another’s point of view)
Animism in their thinking: they ten to attribute life and lifelike qualities to
inanimate objects: is the sun alive? Of course, otherwise, it wouldn’t follow.
Centration: the focusing or centering of attention on one aspect of a
situation to the exclusion of others.
conservation task: conservation of numbers.
The concrete operational stage spans
the years from 7 to 11;
•During this period thought is more
logical, flexible, and organized than
it was during early childhood.
•The acquisition of Operations.
Concrete operations stage
(6 ~7 to 11 ~ 12 yrs.)
Centration
Tasks of Piaget that divides
developmental stages
•Conservation tasks
•Seriation
•Classification
•Transitive inferation
A. Conservation problems .
• Definition: different form of the same amount has the same
quantity but take different space.
• Conservation of Number
• Conservation of Solid quantity
• Conservation of Liquid Quantity
Three phases of procedure
1. Identification of the equal amount of the two sets of the same
item.
2. Changes the forms
3. Children are asked whether the two are remain equal after the
transromation of one of them, all said yes.
Conservation in Sensorimotor period
• Substage 1: from birth to 1 month: just look at something right in front of them
• Substage 2: between 1 & 4 months, infants prolong their looking at the place
where an object disappeared, but do not follow its movement.
• Substage 3: between 4 & 8 months: they anticipate where moving objects will
go, and look for them there if they are partially visible. However, if the object is
completely covered, they do not attempt to retrieve it.
• Substage 4: between 8 & 12 months: infants begin to search for objects behind
or under barriers. They realize that objects have a permanent existence. But
always look at the same hidden place. ‘A-not-B error’.
• Substage 5: between 12 & 18 months: infants stop making the ‘A-not-B error’. A
toy can hidden under a cover, and then the it is under a pillow. A cover is
removed but they still look at under the cover.
• Substage 6: between 18 & 24 months: they search under the pillow.
• Critiques: because out of sight out of mind. They didn’t pay attention by losing
their interests on hidden object when it’s not seen.
Conservation
•The ability to pass conservation tasks
provides clear evidence of operationsmental actions that obey logical rules
.
B. Classes and relations
• in the sensorimotor period: infants classify objects according
to the objects’ functions. The more vigorously I do
something, the larger its effect.
• in the preoperational period:
Put together a group of blocks varying in size, color, and shape.
Class inclusion problems: Are there more flowers or roses?
They have limitation in classifying ordinate and subordinate classes.
E.g. dog vs animals roses vs flowers. Cars vs transportations.
2~4: always finding difficulties
4 ~ 7: sometimes when it is relevant successful.
• and concrete operational periods
Are able to solve multiple classification problems (shape and color)
Classification .
•By the end of middle childhood,
children pass Piaget's class
inclusion problem.
•They can now group objects into
hierarchies of classes and
subclasses.
Classes: Animals vs Plants, Living
things vs non living things.
Sub classes: mammals, reptiles, birds,
fish, amphibians.
Sub sub classes: food, habitats, size,
numbers of breeding of babies,
types of living.
Classroom objects: what is it? It’s a -----.
Classification:
Things you share with others ______
Things that teacher use________
Things that you use only __________
Overlapping.
Things need electricity._______
Things don’t need electricity _________
Things need when you study __________
Things you need when you play ___________.
Over lapping
C. Seriation
•Seriation is the ability to order
items along a quantitative
dimension, such as length or
weight.
D. Transitive
•inference is the ability to perform
seriation mentally
•put things in the right order from
the beginning, or backwards.
•Seriation: making the same thing,
put things in an order exactly the
same as the other one.
Which is longer? Which is
shorter? Which has more?
Winding rope and straight rope
in the same length.
Different size in the different
shape.
Size, volume, and length
relationship. Width and height
relationship.
Their mental operations work poorly
when applied to abstract ideas.
• Hypothesis. If --- there were ----, then -----. If x= 5. Y = 9.
X + Y – 4=?
• 5 spoons of sugar would be resolved in a glass of water.
There are 7 glasses of water. How many spoonful of sugar
will be needed? Look at this glass of water. 5 spoonful of
sugar is resolved. There are 7 glasses of water. How many
spoonful of sugar can we resolve?
• Look at the boat. 5 people can ride in the boat. There are
20 people. How many boat do we need?
E. Reversibility
•is the ability to mentally go
through a series of steps in a
problem and then reverse the
direction, returning
•Mathematic problem. (5+4) – 4 =
(9 – 6 ) + ( ).
• Social problem: I’ve lost my bag.
Let’s retrace our trip backwards
•Scientific problem: How we can
make this ice-cub to water again?
•What had happened to Goldilock?
Sequencing.
F. Logical Planning.
 John spilt the milk on the floor. A baby is walking toward
the spot. Mommy is in the kitchen. What are the things you
have to do? Write things you have to solve the problem in
the right order. 1) get some tissues or mop 2) wash the glass
of milk. 3) clean the floor with the tissue 4) stop the baby 5)
tell mommy.
Sam has to save the child. = He has to ---Consequences and causes = He is sick. Because he did not
wear the coat.
Solutions?  He has to wear a coat in winter.
Decentration
•is the ability to focus on several
aspects of a problem at once and
relate to them.
•Hide your eyes with your finger.
Can I see you?
•Hide something different place
after a person leaves.
•Do you think the person would
understand that the object you
hid is in the different place?
The preconceptual Stage (2 & 3 yr)
• A very subjective logic.
• Discovery for children and they still rely heavily on sensory
experiences.
• The concept of classification is beginning to take shape, and
rudimentary classes, colors, shapes etc.
• Have a difficult time with abstraction and tend to classify objects
according to variable criteria: they attribute human characteristics to
anything that moves.
• Fond of books about talking animals and animated machines.
• Little Toot
http://www.cornel1801.com/disney/Melody-Time-1948/film4.html
• Difficulty to understand the concept of conservation, reversibility.
The intuitive Stage (4 ~ 7 yrs.)
• Use intuition or their feelings to help them make judgments
about the world around them.
• They are becoming increasingly aware of their environment
and, consequently they are becoming less egocentric.
• Stories about human relationships carry new meaning as do
stories that explore inner emotions.
• Fantasies remain popular with these children, realism often
becomes more meaningful as they grow curious about other
people and their own relationships with others.
• One morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTGc_wNYORA
Concrete operational stage (4 ~ 7 or 11)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Begin to use rudimentary logic and problem solving.
Begin to understand time and spatial relationships.
Begin to read longer books that are divided into chapters.
Time sequencing is no longer a difficult problem, and episodic books (Beverly Cleary’s
Dear Mr. Heshaw) http://www.teachertube.com/video/dear-mr-henshaw-122345
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIZ3Qb6KEck
and mystery stories (Donald Sobol’s encyclopedia Brown series).
More aware of people around them and of their own role in society,
Judy Blume (Blubber and Tales of a fourth Grade Nothing)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd51NjpFnyo
and Patricia MacLachlan (Cassie Binegar and Unclaimed Treasures)
Historical fiction becomes more meaningful
Wilder’s Little house (Laura Ingalls) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svby9kpiWto
Sarah, Plain and tall (Patricia MacLachlans)
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZcY6uBLS2o
The Shadow Children.
Mental representations
• Sensorimotor period: children learned to operate physically
on the environment
• Preoperational period, they learned to mentally represent
static states.
• Concrete operational period: they become able to represent
transformations as well as static states.
The formal operations stage ( 11 ~)
Concrete operation
• The major limitation in his or her thinking is to do with the
realm of possibilities.
The formal operation
• This limitation is removed.
• To manipulate variables to find out what causes things to
happen– and is also introduced to the realm of possibilities
and hypothetical thought.
• Logical and scientific reasoning/
• The chemical combinations problem (4 beaker. One of them
changed to yellow after pour one chemical liquid ).
Homework
• Select two stories per each stages of development children
• Explain why you chose those stories for each group referring
to theory of Piaget
• Read chapter 4 and 8, identify the followings
• definitions of extensive and intensive reading, authentic and
simplified languages
• Advantages and disadvantages of using both authentic and
simplified books
• Summarize how to develop children’s language skills