Kathleen Stassen Berger

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Part III

Early Childhoods: Cognitive Development

Chapter Nine

Piaget and VygotskyChildren’s TheoriesLanguageEarly-Childhood Education

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Piaget and Vygotsky• Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are famous for their descriptions of cognition.

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Piaget: Preoperational Thinking

• preoperational intelligence: cognitive development between the ages of about 2 and 6.– languages– imagination

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• four characteristics of thinking in early childhood which make logic difficult:

–centration–focus on appearance–static reasoning –irreversibility

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Obstacles to Logical Operation

• centration: characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child focuses on one idea

• egocentrism: children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective

•literally means self-centered

• focus on appearance: characteristic of preoperational thought where young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent

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• static reasoning: thinking that nothing changes– whatever is now has always been and always will be

• irreversibility: idea that nothing can be undone – inability to recognize that something can be restored

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Conservation and Logic

conservation: idea that amount of a substance remains the same when

appearance changes

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Vygotsky: Social Learning

• First leading developmentalist to emphasize the other side of early cognition.

– young children not always egocentric– can be very sensitive to the wishes and

emotions of others

• Emphasizes social aspect of young children’s cognition in contrast to Piaget’s emphasis on the individual.

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Scaffolding• zone of proximal development (ZPD): skills a person can exercise only with assistance– ideas or cognitive skills a person is close to mastering as well as to more apparent skills.

• scaffolding: temporary support tailored to a learner’s needs and abilities– aimed at helping master next task

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• private speech: internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves– silent or out loud

• social mediation: function of speech where person’s cognitive skills are refined and extended – both formal instruction and casual conversation

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Children’s Theories

• Both Piaget and Vygotsky realized that children actively work to understand their world. – seek to explain what they experience

– why and how people behave as they do

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• theory-theory: idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories

• theory of mind: person’s theory of what other people might be thinking– must realize other people are not thinking the same thoughts that they are

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Language• Critical period for language

learning due to:– brain maturation– myelination– social interaction

• Early childhood is a sensitive period for rapidly and easily mastering:

– vocabulary – grammar– pronunciation

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Grammar• Grammar of language includes structures, techniques, and rules that are used to communicate meaning. –word order–word repetition–prefixes and suffixes–intonation–emphasis

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Learning Two Languages

• Bilingualism is an asset. • Important to speak the majority language as well as the minority one.– Is a nation better off if all its citizens speak one language?

– Should there be more than one official language? •Switzerland has 3•Canada has 2

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Bilingualism, Cognition, and Culture

• Debate over bilingual education inseparable from issues of:– ethnic pride– identity– prejudice – fear

• These subjective factors get in the way of objective developmental research.

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• Bilingualism has both advantages and disadvantages for early cognition and literacy.

• Children who speak two languages by age 5 are:– less egocentric.– more advanced in their theory of mind.

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Constant Change• Basics of language learning apply to every language a young child learns.– naming – vocabulary explosions– fast-mapping– overregularization– extensive practice

• Established languages continually change as each new generation revises it to meet current needs.

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Early-Childhood Education• Early educational institutions:

– preschool– nursery school– day care– pre-primary

• Each early-childhood educational program emphasizes somewhat different:– skills– goals– methods

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Child-Centered Programs

• Programs that stress children’s development and growth.

• Child-centered programs that use a Piaget-inspired model allows children to discover ideas at their own pace. – physical space and materials – puzzles– blocks of many sizes – toys

• Child-centered programs also encourage artistic expression.

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Early-Childhood Education

•Child Centered: •Montessori Schools

•The Reggio Emilia Approach

•Teacher-Directed

•Head Start and Intervention Programs

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• Costs and benefits of the different approaches:– safety– adequate space and equipment– low adult-child ratio– positive social interaction among children and adults

– trained staff and educated parents– continuity helps– “How long has each staff member worked at the center?”