Compare And Contrast Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory

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There are many theories about human development that can be applied to different educational settings. For my instructional setting I found two theories that can help teachers and administrators better understand the developmental stages of students to help them achieve mastery. Piaget’s Cognitive Development theory and Erickson’s theory of psychological growth are two philosophies that can be applied to my educational context to help enhance the academic experience.
Piaget’s Cognitive development theory tries to understand the differences between adults and children’s thinking abilities. It focuses on the way children think and the different stages they go through before they have similar thinking abilities as an adult. Piaget stated that
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My school has students from age three to eight grade and their needs are very different. By understanding the different stages, teachers can provide activities that will meet their needs. Teachers, administrators and other personnel can use these stages to create a curriculum that will meet the developmental needs of each group. Teachers in pre-k to first grade will implement lessons and activities that allow kids to build background, use manipulative to understand concepts and develop symbolical thinking. Children in grades second to sixth grade use their background knowledge regarding concrete experiences to generalize and solve problems. Students in seventh and eighth grade need to be provided with activities that will help them develop their mental abilities to solve problems and will help them develop their thinking skills. Piaget’s theory allows instructors to understand the different developmental stages and create activities that will promote learning and meet the needs of …show more content…
It is important for school personnel to understand this stages and to provide the students with experiences that will help them positively develop their personality. I teach in an urban district in which behavior problems are prevalent. If we analyze these stages and brainstorm ideas on how to incorporate them into our daily instruction, we will be able to provide developmentally appropriate activities that will foster confident individuals with a positive personality. These stages are building blocks that will determine the formation of an adult and how he/she will be able to handle different situations. There are three stages that apply to my setting; initiative versus guilt, industry versus inferiority and identity versus role confusion. Preschool and kindergarten teachers need to foster students and provide them with multiple opportunities to take initiative. By doing this they will allow children to become more independent and active participants of the educational process. Educators in grades first to about sixth need to work on promoting work habits and provided the pupils with opportunities to finish different tasks. During this time children begin to develop their self-esteem and want to have approval. It is important for teachers to take this time to help them develop positive work habits that will follow them throughout

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