Cognitive, Language, and Literacy Development
Description
The focus of reading and discussion in the EDAT 6115 this past
week was on cognitive, language and literacy development of children. Most
developmental psychologists believe that nature and nurture are combined to
influence cognitive development, but some psychologists believe cognitive
development focuses on what a child goes through socially will influence their
development. Some factors in the in the cognitive development of a child can be
influenced by culture, parenting, biology and education. Knowing how children
develop will help you understand how they learn and the best way to teach them.
Analysis
Jean Piaget who was a developmental psychologist, believed
children's knowledge comes from active interactions with the world around them.
He developed four stages of cognitive development which reflect the different
stages of how children think and process information. The first stage is the
sensorimotor stage which is for children ages birth to two years old. The
second stage is the preoperational stage which is ages 2 to 7 years old. The
third stage is the concrete operational stage which are ages 7 to 11 years old.
The last stage which is the fourth stage of Piagets cognitive development is
the formal operational stage that typically ranges from children who are 11 to
adulthood.
If I were to teach a science concept to 2nd grade students and students
in 8th grade, I would teach them differently according to Piagets stages of
cognitive development. Second and 8th graders are in different
stages in cognitive development according to Piaget. Second graders who are
typically seven and eight years old are in the concrete operational stage. In
the concrete operational stage, children see how things are related to each
other, they form concepts, and solve concepts that include objects and
conditions that they are familiar too (Slavin, 2014). Eighth
graders who are about 13 years old, fall within Piagets formal operational
stage of cognitive development. In this stage, children to adults develop the ability
to think about abstract concepts and logically test hypothesis.
Children at these ages are in two different stages in development
according to Piaget. Second graders in the concrete operational stage can use
logical thought or operations, but can only apply logic to physical objects. In
this stage children gain the abilities of number, area, orientation and volume
which is conservation and reversibility. Children can solve problems in a logic
fashion, but at this stage, they are not able to think abstractly or
hypothetically. At age 7 which is the beginning of second grade an important task
that children can learn during the concrete operational stage is seriation. The
cognitive operation of seriation involves the ability to mentally arrange items
or “lining up sticks from smallest to largest” (Slavin, 2014, p. 34). Children
at this stage also master a skill transitivity which is related to seriation. “Transitivity
is the ability to infer a relationship between two objects on the basis of
knowledge of their respective relationships with a third object’’ (Slavin, 2014, p. 35).
Students who are in the 8th grade are in the formal operational
stage which is age 11 into adulthood. “With the formal operational stage comes
the ability to deal with potential or hypothetical situations” (Slavin, 2014, p. 35). Children
at this stage begin to gain the potential to think in an intellectual manner by
working ideas in their heads without any reliant on concrete manipulation. Children
at this stage can think creativity, use abstract reasoning, mathematical
calculations and foresee the outcome of certain actions. At this stage in
development, the characteristics of thinking tend to appear between the ages of
11 and 15, but some children do not reach this stage (Slavin, 2014, p. 36).
Therefore, the difference between concrete operational and formal
operation stages are the ability to think about things which the child has not
actually experienced and to draw conclusions from their thinking. So, teaching
a concept in second grade will require students to draw pictures or use objects
to grasp the concept that is being taught. The children in eighth grade can
reason the answers in their heads because they are using formal operational
thinking. Eighth grade students will address problems in an organized and
structured way, instead of through an experimental approach like trial and
error. During the concrete operational stage, concrete operations are carried
out on things while in the formal operational stage, operations are carried out
on ideas. Children in the formal operational stage can think about hypothetical
and abstract concepts they have not experienced yet. “Generating abstract
relationships from available information and then comparing those abstract
relationships to each other is a broadly applicable skill underlined many tasks
in which adolescents’ competence leaps forward” (Slavin, 2014, p. 36).
Reflection:
In my kindergarten
classroom, cognitive, language and literacy development are significant
developmental skills needed to be successful in the context of my classroom. At
the beginning of kindergarten, students start off on so many different levels
in each subject especially in language development. If students went to pre-k
or socialize around adults or other children they are usually at a higher level
in language development. In my classroom, every day we learn new vocabulary and
it may be orally or symbols that represent the word in the world. I read to my students
daily and encourage their parents to read to them also. This develops language
and literacy skills for students in all subjects.
Prior to reading about language and literacy development, I did
not know students add about 3,000 words per year to their vocabulary. In
kindergarten we focus on fluency, decoding words and decoding words within
text. I did not know at my grade level, that phonemic awareness is so important
not only in reading but also in writing when students use invented spelling. In
my classroom, I try to encourage students to spell the sounds that they hear
when they say a word. Then I correct their spelling after they have written
their words or sentences.
The positive aspects of children developing at different stages
allows me to see what stage a child is on, then work towards a higher stage of
development by setting goals for each student. Reading daily promotes the
development of concepts of print, discussions, plots and writing in the
classroom. I also find out what student’s interests are and get related
literature to what they like so they want to read and write about the subject
more.
To become a better teacher, I will continue to read the daily to
my students, and encourage parents to read to them at home too. I will also
make my classroom more “print rich” for students to use their literacy skills
around the classroom. In small groups, I will allow students to read, write and
complete activities with their peers to encourage cooperative learning. students may learn a new way to complete a task from a
classmate who may use private speech when completing tasks.
References
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