Part III

1. Part III Chapter Nine The Play Years: Cognitive Development Piaget and Vygotsky Children’s Theories Language Early-Childhood Education Prepared by Madeleine Lacefield Tattoon, M.A.

2. The Play Years: Cognitive Development …thinking and learning from age 2 to 6… …remarkable advances in language and thought… …the simple sentence of the typical 2-year-old that are nonstop, complex outpourings of a talkative 6-year-old, who can explain almost anything…

3. Piaget and Vygotsk …famous for their description of cognition… the eager learning of children… are compatible in many ways…

4. Piaget • Piaget: Preoperational Thinking • preoperational intelligence • cognitive development between the ages of about 2 and 6; it includes languages and imagination (in addition to the senses and motor skills of infancy), but logical, operational thinking is not yet possible

5. Piaget • Obstacles to Logical Operation • centration • a characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child focuses (centers) on one idea, excluding all others • egocentrism • Piaget’s term for children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective • focus on appearance • a characteristic of preoperational though in which a young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent

6. Piaget • Obstacles to Logical Operation • static reasoning • thinking that nothing changes: Whatever is now has always been and always will be • irreversibility • the idea that nothing can be undone; the inability to recognize that something can sometimes be restored to the way it was before a change occurred

7. Piaget • Conservation and Logic • conservation • the idea that the amount of a substance remains the same (i.e., is conserved) when its appearance changes

8. Piaget

9. Piaget • Limitations of Piaget’s Research • Piaget underestimated the conceptual ability of young children and infants… • designing his experiments to reveal what children seemed not to understand, rather than to identify what they could understand • relied on the child’s words rather than the child’s nonverbal signs in play context

10. Vygotsk • Vygotsky: Social Learning • young children can be very sensitive to the wishes and emotions of others • young children have social thoughts

11. Vygotsk • Children as Apprentices • cognitive development is embedded in a social context • curious and observant • ask questions

12. Vygotsk • Children as Apprentices • apprentice in thinking • a person whose cognition is stimulated and directed by older more skilled members of society • guided participation • the process by which people learn from others who guide their experiences and explorations

13. Vygotsk • Children as Apprentices • guided participation

14. Vygotsk • Scaffolding • zone of proximal development (ZPD) • the skills that a person can exercise only with assistance, not yet independently • ZPD applies to the ideas or cognitive skills a person is close to mastering as well as to more apparent skills • scaffolding • temporary support that is tailored to a learner’s needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process

15. Vygotsk • Language as a Toll • private speech • internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves (either silently or out loud) • social mediation • a function of speech by which a person’s cognitive skills are refined and extended through both formal instruction and casual conversation

16. Children’s Theories • Theory-Theory • the idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories

17. Children’s Theories • Theory of Mind • a person’s theory of what other people might be thinking • children must realize that other people are not necessarily thinking the same thoughts that they themselves are thinking • the realization is seldom possible before age 4

18. Children’s Theories • Belief and Reality: Understanding the Difference • a sudden leap of understanding occurs at about age 4 • between age 3 – 6 children come to realize that thoughts may not reflect reality

19. Children’s Theories • Contextual Influences • maturation of the brain’s prefrontal cortex appears to be the reason for the age-related advance in children

20. Language • is pivotal to cognition in early childhood • is the leading cognitive accomplishment in early childhood • 24-month-olds begin this period with short sentences and limited vocabulary • 6-year-olds end it with the ability to understand and discuss almost anything

21. Language • critical period • a time when a certain development must happen if it is ever to happen • sensitive period • a time when a certain type of development is most likely to happen and happens most easily

22. Language • Vocabulary • new words are added rapidly • at age 2 knows about 500 words • at age 6 about 10,000 words

23. Language • Fast-Mapping • the speedy and sometimes imprecise way in which children learn new words by mentally charting them into categories according to their meaning

24. Language • Words and the Limits of Logic • logical extension • used to describe other objects in the same category • use of available vocabulary to cover all the territory they want to talk about

25. Language • Grammar • grammar of language includes the structure, techniques, and rules that are used to communicate meaning • parts of grammar: word order and word repetition, prefixes and suffixes, intonation and emphasis • overregularization • the application of rules of grammar even when exceptions occur, so that the language is made to seem more “regular” than it actually is

26. Language • Learning Two Languages • bilingualism is an asset—a necessity • language-minority children are at a disadvantage (not the dominant language of the nation) • more likely to: • do poorly in school • feel ashamed • become unemployed as adults • learning the majority language is crucial

27. Language • What is the goal of having a second language? • research supports that children should learn at least two languages…the language-sensitive years of early childhood are the best time • soon after the vocabulary explosion, young are able to master two languages—distinct sets of words and grammar • Young children have difficulty with pronunciation in every language, but this does not slow down their learning of a second language

28. Language • Bilingualism, Cognition, and Culture • “Since language is integral to culture, bilingualism is embedded in emotions of ethnic pride and fear. This reality hampers developmental research.”

29. Language Constant Change • The basics of language learning… • explosion • fast-mapping • overregularization • extensive practice …apply to bilingual learning • Languages continually change… • Negro to Black to African American • hip-hop; e-mail; DVD; spam; blog; cell (phone); rap (music); buff (in shape) • other languages are basic English vocabulary – salsa, loco, amour

30. Early-Childhood Education • a hundred years ago children had no formal education until first grade • today 3 – 5-year-olds in developed nations are in school • early educational institutions differ, but names do not indicate the nature of the program

31. Early-Childhood Education

32. Early-Childhood Education • Child-Centered Programs • Montessori Schools • The Reggio Emilia Approach • Teacher-Directed Programs • Intervention Programs • Head Start • Experimental Programs

33. Early-Childhood Education • Costs and Benefits • quality early-childhood education matters • financial aspects are especially significant • parents pay the bulk of the cost or preschool in the United States • quality child care: • safety • adequate space and equipment • low adult-child ratio • positive social interaction among children and adults • trained staff and educated parents • continuity helps • “How long has each staff member worked at the center?”