Piaget Top Seven

When Piaget’s theories of knowledge acquisition are understood and used properly, it can result in many benefits for the learner. Below are the top seven ways that using a Piagetian approach can help learners.

1. Piaget raises children’s competence levels:

When children are given tasks that are appropriate for their development , they are able to move through a series of levels of  a task from easy to challenging. Each one of these tasks help them to understand something new about the skill. This leads to a greater commentary level.

2. Piaget’s theories establish age norms, which help educators to have an expected standard:

This is a very important for educators to understand. If a student is at a level below the age norm, they can refer to the previous stage for ways to help this student learn. If they are operating at a stage above, the teacher can refer to this stage in order to ensure they are giving them work that challenges them appropriately. The best learning happens when the task has meaning. If the task is to easy or to hard, it looses meaning.

3. Piaget Characterizes Development Positively:

Piaget’s theories embrace the idea that cognitive structures emerge from the self-regulation of an individuals actions. Learning is a process of transformation that is continuous. This means that students should never feel bad if they are struggling to grasp a concept. The teacher can use this idea of transformation to provide more experiences that are age appropriate.

4. Emphasis is on Logical Structure:

Emphasizing the logical structure means that teachers can help students focus on the process they use to solve a problem. This also means that while a student may be at a level of formal operations in one area, they may not be there in another area. By focusing on logical structures, teachers can help students develop the best strategies for the current learning level, even in individual subjects.

5. Even though it is not the focal point, social factors to learning are considered:

Piaget was more interested in the emergence and sequence of cognitive stages, rather than factors that could accelerate or decelerate them.  However, he does recognize that social interactions are necessary for cognitive development.  Through social interaction, students have a chance to solidify what they are beginning to believe to be true about the world.

6. Piaget’s theories give detailed descriptions:

One of the reasons that Piaget’s theories are so adaptable to education and easily applied is that he offers descriptions for educators to use as they need.  Piaget understood that every classroom environment is different and that the children with in them have different needs. He has explained assimilation, accommodation and equilibrium so that teachers can use his theories and adapt them to the needs of their students.

7. Acquisition of knowledge does not have to be reliant on language:

Operational competencies are not always reliant on verbal communication.  There are other learning theories that tie a child’s ability to learn to their ability to communicate verbally.  Language can be misunderstood and misused, which can result in a block in student learning.