When the brain is able to learn naturally we call this theory brain based learning we use our brain everyday to acquire and take In things that we learn and children are no exception. According to Jean Piglet's cognitive developmental theory children use their brain to think, reason, and remember. Based upon his observations, he concluded that children were not less intelligent than adults, they simply think differently (Cherry, n. D. ).
Pigged described his theory using stages that children go wrought as they mentally mature.In his description of children he called them "little scientists," actively trying to make sense of the world rather than simply soaking up Information passively (Cherry, n. D. ).
When designing a toddler classroom there are many things to consider. It is very important to create an environment that is geared toward the proper developmental stage in order for young children to get the most out their classroom experiences. Children in the operational stage (2 yr. - 7 yr. ) need a wide variety of hands-on activities to promote development.
Using JeanPiglet's Theory of Cognitive development to design a classroom will give toddlers a wide range of activities to gain a strong foundation for learning. Jean Planet a developmental psychologist became Intrigued In the development of children and decided he wanted to study and learn about the development of children. He then came up with a theory known as the cognitive developmental theory children. His theory consists of several key concepts and stages of development. The concepts consist of schemas, assimilation, accommodation, equilibration and the four stages of development.The first concept or component Is the schemas which are the building blocks of knowledge.
Schemas are units of knowledge that help us explain and understand the world around us. The next three components is the process that enables the transition from one stage to another and it consists of assimilation this means that we use an existing schema to deal with a new object or situation. The next component Is accommodation and this happens when the existing schema or knowledge does not work, and has to be shifted to deal with a new object or situation.The third component Is equilibration this Is the force, which moves placement along. This happens when children are able to balance between assimilation and accommodation.
The last components are the four stages of development Pigged believed that all children go through the stages in the same order and that no stage can be missed but some people might not ever attain the later stages. Pigged also believed that there are Individual differences In the rate that children progress through the stages. The stages Include the seniority stage the stage is object performance.The second stage is the operational stage the age for this stage is 2-7 years old and the key feature is egocentrics. The next stage is concrete operational and children go through this stage during the age of 7-11 years old and the key feature during this stage is conservation. The last stage is called the formal operational stage and this age group consists of 1 1 years old and over and the key feature in this stage is abstract reasoning meaning a person is able to manipulate ideas in their head.
Since the main focus for our classroom is the operational stage we will take a look at some of the characteristics of this specific stage.The operational stage usually ranges in age from 2 to 7 and in this stage hillier can mentally represent events and objects, and begin to engage in symbolic play. At this stage children tend to be very egocentric meaning their thoughts are focused on themselves (McLeod, 2010). They cannot view a situation from another person's point of view this means that children at this stage think that other people see, hear, and feel exactly the same way they do. Another feature that children display during this stage is animism. In other words children believe that inanimate objects such as toys and stuffed animals have human feelings and intentions.
Pigged lived that by age seven children are no longer egocentric because they can now see more than Just their own point of view. It is important that teachers, who use Piglet's theory to teach, design a classroom in which these theories can be focused on. In the layout below you will see a design of a classroom that aligns with Piglet's theory and we will discuss some activities that can be used in the classroom to help children develop in their learning. This classroom is designed to promote growth and development so that young children can express themselves while learning about the world around them.
There will be several centers where the children will be able to explore and learn through play both alone and in groups. The design provides quiet areas for activities such as napping and reading and activity areas where they can take part in dramatic play and construction. It is important that the classroom be print rich, so everything in the class will be labeled with words and pictures this will help promote growth in language skills (Funk, n. D. ). The classroom design chosen allows easy access for students to move freely without being overcrowded.
In the dramatic play area hillier can play freely and use their imagination to become whoever they want to be. The library center allows children to familiarize themselves with books and build vocabulary, the science and discovery center allows children to explore the world around them, and the sensory table allows children to be in complete control of their actions and experiences, which boosts their confidence and builds self-esteem (Steinberg, n. D. ).
The music center not only provides children the opportunity to appreciate music it also increases math and language skills (Barnyard, n. D. ).Each enter plays a very important part in the development of children and therefore children should be encouraged to visit every center at least once a week in my classroom. When the children enter the classroom they will first go to the activity tables pictures while waiting on others to arrive. These tables are for small group lessons and snacks as well as manipulative and puzzles.
There are no centers along the way to distract the children and each center is separated by shelving or other storage containers for the same reason. After testing his theory Pigged came to the conclusion that not all children advance t the same time.Some children develop earlier than others based on their social interactions. Because of this the students will be encouraged to play together in small groups in each center in hopes that the children who are delayed will have a good chance at developing new skills by watching the more advanced students. Children will be allowed to choose their own center and switching centers after certain amount of time will be allowed.
Each center is designed to engage a different aspect of child development. The large floor rug is designed as a social area.The children will gather each morning to egging the daily routine. The more time children spend together the less time it will take them to develop social skills such as speech and conversation.
We will begin each day by talking about the events from the afternoon before and re-cap on the activities of the day before Just to see what they remember; especially from the lesson. Children will also tell something that they did at home the day before and we will go over the weather, day, and year. After circle time we will head to our lesson area. This is the location where the "academics" will take place.At this age the hillier will be working on fine motor skills by coloring and using scissors and arts and craft ideas. There will be many planned activities each day to meet the developmental domains for children's growth and development.
We will discuss some of these activities and how they help children develop. The first activity will pertain to the physical domain and it consists of playing a game called "Duck, Duck, Goose. Children will sit in a circle and one child will be elected to be it meaning that child walks around the circle tapping the other children on the head.As that child walks around tapping children the child will say duck, duck ND when they say goose the child that has been tagged the goose Jumps up and runs after the child who tagged him if he catches him that same child will remain it if he sits down in the other child's spot before getting tagged the other child will be it.
This game involves gross motor skills and allows children to participate actively and constructively within the group. This game allows children to move within their environment and their exploration of the world expands greatly this is what Piglet's theory expresses.For fine motor skills children can use the scissors and snip and cut trip of paper and glue to paper and create a picture of their choice. This allows children to make decisions and they are able to express themselves through their art. The cognitive domain activity planned will be to work together in small group for 5-10 minutes.
In order to do this we will use a picture puzzle with a frame that has eight pieces and should be a puzzle of something that children are familiar with. Remove the eight pieces of the puzzle and randomly put two pieces of the puzzle together to make four sets of two pieces of puzzle.Select four children to Join in and give each hill two pieces of the puzzle. Tell the children that they are going to work together to complete the puzzle. Let them know that they will take turns to see if the pieces their piece to see if it fits the puzzle continue calling each child's name until all the pieces are complete. If a child does not understand restate what is expected and give the children enough time to decide whether or not their pieces will fit.
This activity is related to Piglet's theory because it introduces children to a controlled peer group situation, and helps them learn how to consider others feeling.It uses logical hinging during interactions with others and allows the children to make to a decision. Some children may need help with aggressive and passive behavior and it is important that these children be shown the correct and proper way to act. The social/emotional domain activity is the game "Who stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar". This game will allow children to identify their name, recognize some letters of the alphabet, pay attention for longer period of time, follow between 2 - 3 instructions at a time, recognize their own name in print, cooperate with others, and understand and follow rules.
You will need a bucket, strip of paper with the names of the children, and a pen. Sit the children in a circle so everyone can see each other. Start the rhythm of the game by doing one clap of hands and then a knee tap. You can start like this: CLAP TAP CLAP TAP etc. When the children are all following the rhythm, teach them this following chant: Who stole the cookie from the cookie Jar? Child's name stole the cookie from the cookie Jar (select a child's name from the group). Who me? (the child selected says).
Yes you! The group responds with). IT COULDN'T BE! (the child selected says). Then who? The group responds with). Child's name (the child selects another player). Get a "cookie Jar" or bucket and put it in the center of the circle.
Inside the cookie Jar, write the names of all the children whom are playing this game, on separate pieces of paper. The child who begins has to pull a name out of the cookie Jar, try to recognize the name and then tell the group whose name was selected from the Jar, before continuing the chant.Each child should have a turn at selecting a child's name from the cookie Jar and try to recognize their friend's name (Susie childcare network, 2009). This game allows social interaction ND allows children to participate with others and gives the child a chance to build self esteem. The next activity is the language domain activity and it is called missing words. The children will develop growth by being able to respond to questions, string words together in known phrases, name common objects, animals, or people, name and identify objects, animals, or people in pictures, and enjoy simple stories and songs.
You will use a child's book one that is familiar to the children. We will use the book Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See. When sitting down to read the book leave out words or put the wrong words in its place. See if the children will notice and correct you, also you can let the children fill in the words for you and repeat the phrases to the book. This activity allows children to attach names with objects and gives them a sense of possession or control over how they think and speak (Help for preschoolers, 1995-1999).This activity enhances the development of children by adding information and words, exchanging words, and listening to others and aligns with Piglet's theory of development by acquiring maturity through socialized speech.
Aside from the centers I have also placed a resting area in a quiet corner with very title light so that the children can rest at nap time. This area has cots for the children to rest on. Since, sleep is very important for developing brains the children to prevent mood upsets and promote rejuvenation and development.Napping for an hour or so a day helps avoid melt downs and keeps young children from becoming over tired which can interfere with night time sleeping habits (Dowdies, 2013).
Active involvement in the classroom is a commonly encouraged educational practice that is derived from the ideas put forward in Piglet's development theory (Headwords, 1996). In a Paginating classroom, children are encouraged to discover themselves through spontaneous interaction with the environment, rather than the presentation of ready-made knowledge such as textbooks for example ("Educational implications of,"n. . ).
Pigged believed that the child first internalizes concepts from his interactions with the environment and later develops the language to label and describe these understandings. This idea that children learn from active interaction with their environment implicates that teachers need to consider learning as an active restructuring of thought rather an increase in content. Using Jean Piglet's heron of Cognitive Development to build and design a classroom will ensure that the children have every tool available to promote proper stimulation and cognitive development.This will also ensure that the children have a strong educational foundation to start their academic career and children will be better equipped for the world around them.
