The main objective of primary schools is to promote the gradual and structured advancement of thinking, understanding, and logical reasoning from infancy to adulthood. Consequently, this facilitates the overall cognitive development of children.
Young children greatly benefit from the continuous advancement of cognition as it provides them with essential knowledge about themselves and the world. To support early cognitive development, educators draw upon the theories of renowned educational thinkers like Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. These influential theorists have made significant contributions to the field of cognitive development.
Jean Piaget’s ‘Stage-based theory of cognitive development’ outlines the gradual progression of cognitive processes through distinct stages: sensorimotor stage (for infants up to age 2), preoperational stage (for children aged 2 to 7), concrete operational stage (for children aged 7 to 12), and formal operational stage (for individuals older than 12 years).
Furthermore, Piaget (1972) introduces the concept of schemes as fundamental and abstract building blocks of cognition. Individuals undergo adaptations and equilibrations to develop new schemes, expand their knowledge, and enhance their thinking processes. However, a significant critique of Piaget’s theory is his underestimation of young children’s cognitive abilities. Evan (1991) argues that preschool children possess greater knowledge of numbers than what Piaget postulated. In contrast to Piaget, Vygotsky’s “Sociocultural theory” places greater emphasis on the impact of social interaction and cultural tools on the cognitive development of children.
According to Vygotsky (1980), social interactions play a crucial role in learning, both with others and internally. He also highlights the significance of more experienced learners in facilitating effective learning. Additionally, Vygotsky views real tools and symbol systems as cultural tools that aid children in comprehending the physical and social world (Evans, 1991). However, Krause, Bochner, and Duchesne (2006) argue that Vygotsky places excessive emphasis on language and fails to adequately explain the role of physical maturation in cognitive development. Despite these limitations, both Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories are valuable references for understanding children’s cognitive development, as illustrated in the following case study.
In case study A, the learning centers are mentioned to change frequently. As a result, when Anna alters the activities of the learning centers, children may encounter unfamiliar things. According to Piaget’s theory, this leads to a state of disequilibration. Once children find solutions to restore equilibrium, new cognitive structures are formed, thus expanding their knowledge. Furthermore, Troy engages in a task involving large numbers and utilizes a calculator at the learning centers. In Vygotsky’s theory, both the number system and calculator are viewed as cultural tools that enhance children’s understanding. These examples demonstrate Anna’s familiarity with both Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories.
Secondly, Anna’s learning center is well-suited for promoting children’s cognitive development. In the learning centers, children like Katy are encouraged to take initiative and cultivate their learning abilities based on their own interests. This approach facilitates more efficient study processes and also contributes to faster cognitive development. Additionally, children have greater freedom to explore knowledge and challenge themselves both individually and collaboratively. For instance, when children work together in a mathematical center, their knowledge grows alongside their thinking processes and social skills due to the opportunities for discovery and discussion. Through a variety of activities, children acquire diverse cognitive skills.
In the tinker center, children’s logical thinking and reasoning develop as they explore how things work. Additionally, Tim’s creativity and ability to think operationally improve as he creates a skateboard using a heater. In the mathematical center, children engage with large numbers to enhance their numeracy, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills. The learning center contributes to the development of motor skills in all children, with a particular focus on Hilly, a child with Down’s syndrome, whose fine motor skills improve through finger painting.
Children who enjoy making games using blocks develop more organized and strategic thinking. Overall, most children are in the preoperational stage but are progressing towards the concrete operational stage. They gradually acquire logical thinking skills and reversibility through activities such as game making, exploration, and problem solving. However, Troy and Tim appear to be functioning at the concrete operational stage since they demonstrate more logical and organized thinking abilities compared to others. Troy excels at solving math problems, while Tim successfully created a skateboard using a heater.
A singing center can be a valuable resource for enhancing children’s literacy and pragmatics skills by incorporating nursery rhymes into their learning. In terms of promoting cognitive development, the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky are essential. Woolfolk and Margetts (2010) assert that teachers can expand children’s knowledge by utilizing their disequilibrium as a source of motivation. Additionally, the integration of cultural tools in the classroom can positively influence children by fostering their thinking, learning, and cognitive development (Briggs and Potter, 1999).
Setting up a learning center is an effective method to enhance children’s cognitive development. According to Lemlech (1991), a learning center is designed to foster and expand children’s interests while promoting their cognitive development through both individual and collaborative learning. Unlike guided discovery with teachers (Piaget, 1972), both collaborative and individual learning enable children to have more freedom to explore knowledge and challenge themselves. However, some individuals argue that learning without teacher guidance may potentially lead to erroneous thinking and reasoning processes in children (Merry, 1998).
Use of cultural tools, combined with discovery learning, promotes cognitive development in children. This includes the enhancement of logical thinking, reasoning, operational thinking, problem-solving, and motor skills (Krause, Bochner&Duchesne,2006). Based on Piaget’s stage-based theory, most children in early primary school are in the preoperational stage. During this stage, children learn to think about actions without actually performing them, but have not yet organized their thinking into coherent structures (Langford,1989). Briggs and Potter (1999) recommend group activities involving literacy, such as singing in a group, as a means to encourage social interactions and develop literacy skills in preoperational children.
Some children may enter concrete operational stages earlier due to their higher intellect or more advanced cognitive abilities in certain areas. During this stage, children have more mature thinking and reasoning skills and begin to understand mathematical concepts with more advanced problem-solving abilities (Woolfolk and Margett, 2010).
After analyzing and substantiating case study A, it is clear that Vygotsky and Piaget have made significant contributions to children’s cognitive development. Despite some concerns about their theories, it is undeniable that their ideas are extremely valuable to teachers as they provide different perspectives and enhance teachers’ knowledge for classroom applications.
Therefore, teachers have the ability to guide and assist in the cognitive development of children in a more effective and suitable manner.
