piaget's theory of cognitive development

Question 1

schema development

Answer 1

• a schema is an internal representation of the world. they’re the building blocks of knowledge
  as children explore their world and are introduced to new experiences, these schema develop, along with new schema

Question 2

motivation to learn

Answer 2

• when our existing schemas dont allow us to make sense of something new it leads to the unpleasant state of equilibrium.
• we must reach equilibrium
• the process of learning and adapting to a new environment can be split into assimilation and accomodation

Question 3

assimiliation

Answer 3

when we add information to an existing schema or apply a schema to a new situation

Question 4

accomodation

Answer 4

when an existing schema has to change because incoming information conflicts what is already known (i.e disequilibrium)

Question 5

strength; educational application

Answer 5

• piagets theory of children learning by actively exploring their environment has had an impact on claaroom teaching
• silent rows of the 60s has been relplaced with acticty orientated classes
• children now actively engage and construct their own understanding of the curriciulum
• e.g early years: children may physcially take control of learning - may invesitigate phsical properties of sand
• higher level: students may read up material independently

Question 6

weakness: role of culture in learning

Answer 6

• only tested educated middle-class european children - reduced validity
• such children may be more highly motivated than children from less educated backgrounds/different cultures
• therefore, the way this group acquired knowledge may be different
• different cultures may feel differently towards education and place value on abilities that may be more useful - abstract and formal operational thinking may be much less common in these other cultural groups