Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development Mathematical games and teaching with analogy models hinge on Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development proposes that humans cannot get information, which they automatically understand; instead, they construct their own knowledge through prior personal experiences, which enable them to create schemas. When cognitive structures are underdeveloped, learning is difficult, if not impossible. With effective cognitive structures, even hesitant students can initiate their own learning (Garner, 2008). Piaget believes that learning is built through experience. Individuals understand by establishing their own information. According to Shelton, Satwicz, and Caswell (2013),
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Teachers are merely instructors who support learners in the learning process. According to Babara and Tambara, (2008) teachers develop a better understanding of their students’ thinking by aligning their teaching strategies with their students’ cognitive level (e.g. motivational set, modelling, and assignment). Piaget proposed non-intervention, saying everything one teaches a child prevents him from discovery. In a Piagetian classroom, children create information through dynamic cooperation in their learning. Learners will construct their insight through experience. This experience will aid him to build mental models, which will further develop through assimilation and accommodation. Learning occurs because of active participation with objects and ideas and not by passive reception of transferring information. Therefore, in a Piagetian classroom, students build knowledge through their own experiences. Piaget believed that individuals must adapt (fit) to their environment. He describes three mental processes that occurred during adaptation, which is the ability of the organisms to fit in with its environment. These are Assimilation, Accommodation, and …show more content…
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development holds that cognitive advancement happens from the active interaction of the learner with his environment. Cowan (2006) posits that learning is encouraged when the child is effectively engaged in a discovery environment through interaction with the environment, their instructor, and their peers. In using games in instruction, the teacher acts as an instructor of learning, guiding the students through activities, which will improve achievement and retention by the learners. During adaptation, the teacher should ensure that students understand their everyday experiences, which will aid them to map similarities and differences into the new information or idea presented. “It is reasonable to expect that the abstract thinking that emerges in Grades 8-10 will enhance the effectiveness of verbal and abstract analogies with older students who have begun to master mental models” (Harrison & Coll, 2008, p.
Teachers are merely instructors who support learners in the learning process. According to Babara and Tambara, (2008) teachers develop a better understanding of their students’ thinking by aligning their teaching strategies with their students’ cognitive level (e.g. motivational set, modelling, and assignment). Piaget proposed non-intervention, saying everything one teaches a child prevents him from discovery. In a Piagetian classroom, children create information through dynamic cooperation in their learning. Learners will construct their insight through experience. This experience will aid him to build mental models, which will further develop through assimilation and accommodation. Learning occurs because of active participation with objects and ideas and not by passive reception of transferring information. Therefore, in a Piagetian classroom, students build knowledge through their own experiences. Piaget believed that individuals must adapt (fit) to their environment. He describes three mental processes that occurred during adaptation, which is the ability of the organisms to fit in with its environment. These are Assimilation, Accommodation, and …show more content…
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development holds that cognitive advancement happens from the active interaction of the learner with his environment. Cowan (2006) posits that learning is encouraged when the child is effectively engaged in a discovery environment through interaction with the environment, their instructor, and their peers. In using games in instruction, the teacher acts as an instructor of learning, guiding the students through activities, which will improve achievement and retention by the learners. During adaptation, the teacher should ensure that students understand their everyday experiences, which will aid them to map similarities and differences into the new information or idea presented. “It is reasonable to expect that the abstract thinking that emerges in Grades 8-10 will enhance the effectiveness of verbal and abstract analogies with older students who have begun to master mental models” (Harrison & Coll, 2008, p.