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Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine. Early Childhood: Cognitive Development Piaget and Vygotsky Children ’ s Theories Language Early-Childhood Education. Piaget and Vygotsky. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are famous for their descriptions of cognition. Piaget: Preoperational Thinking.

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Chapter Nine

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  1. Chapter Nine Early Childhood: Cognitive Development • Piaget and Vygotsky • Children’s Theories • Language • Early-Childhood Education

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

  3. Piaget: Preoperational Thinking Preoperational intelligence: cognitive development between the ages of about 2 and 6 • Languages • Imagination

  4. Four characteristics of thinking in early childhood which make logic difficult: • Centration • Focus on appearance • Static reasoning • Irreversibility

  5. Egocentrism • Three mountain problem • Simplified version • Picture cards

  6. Conservation and Logic Conservation: idea that amount of a substance remains the same when appearance changes

  7. Vygotsky: Social Learning • 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

  8. 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

  9. Private speech: internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves • Social mediation: function of speech where person’s cognitive skills are refined and extended

  10. McGuigan & Salmon (2004) • Goal: to verify the role of language in learning • 3 to 6 years old • 26 activities • 30 props • Pretend zoo

  11. McGuigan & Salmon (2004) • “Empty speech” – irrelevant to zoo • Speech before the event that described what would happen • Running descriptive • Recap 2 days later

  12. 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

  13. Theory-theory • Idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories

  14. 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

  15. 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

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

  17. 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

  18. Homes & Schools • Quality of both matter • Preschools • Overall foster cognition • Access difficult especially for middle-class families • Most important variables • Teachers who know how to respond to needs and have time to do so

  19. Homes & Schools • Child-centered: developmental; children lead discovery process in self-paced exploration • promote creativity • teachers guide children in use of materials

  20. Homes & Schools • Child-centered programs • Montessori: children seek out learning tasks Goals: pride and engagement in learning • Reggio-Emilia: arts, group projects, outdoor play • very collaborative (children, teachers, and parents)

  21. Homes & Schools • Teacher-directed programs • Stress academics • Teacher instructs group of children • Prep for kindergarten • Based on principles of behaviorism

  22. Homes & Schools • Intervention Programs: attempts to narrow gap between most and least proficient kindergatners • Public support varies by culture and cohort • China: national coherence and pride • Western nations: help low-income children

  23. Home and Schools • Intervention Programs • Head Start: large program for 4-year-olds (2004 data) • Intelligence and language gains • Faded by 2nd grade • More likely to graduate and have jobs vs. those with no pre-school • Teaching approaches vary

  24. Homes & Schools • Head Start (2010 data) • While in attendance • Improved math and literacy during attendance • Oral health improved • Parents’ responsiveness improved • Many benefits faded by 1st grade

  25. Homes & Schools • Head Start • Some benefitted more than others • Lowest income • Rural areas • Those with disabilities • All least likely to find another educational program • Gains in language, social skills, and vocabulary

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