Contributions of Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget’s effort in the development of child psychology records a remarkable contribution on the significance of holistic approach when children are learning. He stands to be one of the most contributors in the field of child psychology. Following the teachings of the Jean Piaget, the teaching methodologies applied today shows his effort in constructiveness and interacting with the children. This essay is going to show the contributions made by Jean Piaget in the field of child development.

One of the contributions known to have come from Piaget is the cognitive theory. According to this theory, a child undergoes four stages of cognitive development, which applies to the laws and rules that corresponds to the biological development of a child. The first stage is known as sensorimotor deals with the mental structure of child, which lets the child focus on mastering the concrete objects. In the second stage, preoperational, the child focuses on the mastering of all symbols before proceeding to the concrete stage. According to Piaget, concrete stage allows the child to learn and master all the classes of the numbers as well as how they relate to each other (Piaget, 2013). It is at the same stage where a child learns how to reason. The fourth stage referred to as formal operation focuses on the mastering of thoughts.

The second contribution made Piaget is the selling of the idea to the teachers that there is need to use more than one method of teaching. Piaget demonstrated that children are less skeptical of view of information and they need to understand through allowing them to test for themselves. The present-day active discovery of learning basis its origin on the teachings of Piaget. He supported the need to create an equilibrium that is crucial for giving room for assimilation and accommodation for the child to learn (Piaget, 2015). While emphasizing the need to let the child discover for herself and acquire knowledge, Piaget contributed to the development of the principle of intellectual activity. Actual experiences are far much better than the language itself for a child. Teachers apply the use of the concrete experiences to the children more than using words to pass the knowledge.

Child’s age matters a lot during the delivering of the concept in class. The modern teaching uses the teachings of Piaget in grouping the learners based on their ages. Children with the same age and stage of development get the learning resources that best suit their mental structure that aid them in understanding the nature. Another knowledge gained from the teachings of Piaget on child development is that the provided learning environment of a child should be able to support the activity of that child. In the development of intelligence, activity becomes essential to the child (Piaget, Inhelder& Piaget, 2013). The environment should support and be discovery-oriented, and that play should be encouraged to increase self-discovery by the children. Piaget explained further the need to allow the child to interact with his peers since it provides an opportunity for that child to develop cognitively. While learning is taking place, a child should be welcome for a conversation with the trainer since it provides an opportunity for the child to experience disequilibrium.

Piaget’s teachings and contributions to the child development form the foundation of the child psychology. His emphasis on the need to provide the teaching experiences according to the level of the child creates a situation that makes most of the school to consider the various child developmental stages before the introduction of any concept from the books. He adds the need to encourage dialogue or any other interpersonal actions since they create a platform that constitutes social basics for the child.

References

Piaget, J. (2013). Child’s Conception of Number: Selected Works (Vol. 2). Routledge.
Piaget, J. (2015). The Grasp of Consciousness (Psychology Revivals): Action and Concept in the Young Child. Psychology Press.
Piaget, J., Inhelder, B., & Piaget, J. (2013). The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence: An essay on the construction of formal operational structures (Vol. 84). Routledge.

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