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How Piagets theories support universal preK in the US

How Piagets theories support universal preK in the US

Introduction

Jean Piaget is famous for developing one of the most influential theory the theory of cognitive development . The theory is mainly concerned with the construction and emergence of schemata which comprises the schemes of how a person does perceive the world especially during the developmental stages when the children are gaining new means of mentally expressing information . The theory is considered constructivist in opposition to other theories which could be either nativist or empiricists (Brainerd , C . 1978 . The theory proposes that

we do get to construct our cognitive abilities through the self-motivated action in ones world . The nativist theory on the other hand asserts that cognitive development is the unfolding of innate abilities and knowledge while empiricist theories defines cognitive development as a gradual process in which knowledge is acquired through experience (Brainerd , C .J Reyna , V .F 2002 . For this theory , Piaget won the Erasmus prize . There are four main periods that Piaget used to describe the schemes that children make use of to understand the world (Gallagher , J .M Reid D .K . 1981

Four stages as described by Piaget 's

Sensorimotor period

This occurs at the age of 0 to 2 years (Piaget , J . 1929 . According to Piaget , children are born with a congenital reflexes which permits them to float in the dense world beyond their drive to explore the world around them . The initial schemes that the children have at this stage is all based on the differentiation of their congenital reflexes . Since this is the first of the four stages according to Piaget it marks an important stage in which the child develops spatial abilities to understand the world in six different stages (Piaget , J . 1929

These stages include

The reflex scheme stage that takes place from birth to one month . It is primarily associated with the development of reflexes

Primary circular reaction stage is the second stage that occurs from one month to four month . It is primarily associated with the development of habits

The secondary circular reactions phase forms the third stage . It occurs from the fourth month to the eighth month and is primarily associated with the development of vision and prehension coordination (hand-eye coordination

The fourth sub stage is concerned with the development of the object permanence development . It is generally called the coordination of secondary course round modest circular reactions stage and occurs from the eighth month to the twelfth month

The tertiary circular reactions phase is what Piaget suggested to the fifth sub stage from twelve to eighteen months . This is the stage that Piaget suggested that the `little scientist ' is born through active creativity and experimentation

The sixth final sub stage here is characterized by the beginning of symbolic representation and it occurs from the eighteen months to twenty four months . At this stage the new found means of considering before taking an action gives the child new ways of eventually achieving a goal without having to go for...

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