An Evaluation Of Jean Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory

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An evaluation of Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory and its implications for Caribbean classrooms. By: Christopher C.Cox Course Code & Title: EDPS 1010 The Psychology of Teaching & Learning Lecturer: Dr.J.Deanne Ford PhD. Assignment Due Date: Wednesday, October 15th, 2014 The concept of Learning as a process of Cognitive Development, has intrigued Psychologists for many years. Learning, as defined by Schacter, Gilbert & Wegner (2011) is “the acquisition of new knowledge, skills or responses from experience that result in a relatively permanent change in the state of the learner”. Jean Piaget, a Swiss-born Psychologist, was one who was particularly interested in how children perceive their environment. So engrossed was he by this process, that Piaget used his own children as scientific models in his experiments, in establishing his theory of Cognitive Development. After analyzing the behaviors of his children in their early development, Piaget concluded that there are four main stages of human cognitive maturation:- The Sensorimotor Stage, the Preoperational Stage, the Concrete Operational Stage and the Formal Operational Stage. This essay seeks to outline and examine Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, and to illustrate how this theory can influence the learning and teacher pedagogy in classes within the Caribbean region. The first stage of Piaget’s Cognitive Development theory is the Sensorimotor Stage, which he states takes place from birth