Classroom Plan Piaget Theory

Classroom Plan Piaget Theory

ECE 332 Child Development

Classroom Plan Piaget Theory

Preschooler are children ages 3 to 5 years old. Preschoolers are littler children that want to touch, taste, smell, hear, and try to test things on their own. They are ready to learn, and they learn form play. Preschoolers are always busy developing using language and struggling to gain control. Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages of mental development. According to Piaget, a teacher’s observations and guidance are effective when helping children build and find their own knowledge. As children grow and mature, the way that they play also develops with them. From children’s errors teachers can obtain insights into the child’s view of the world and can tell where guidance is needed. They can provide appropriate materials, ask encouraging questions, and allow the child to construct his own knowledge. About a child gaining knowledge, Lefrancois states “Piaget defined play as assimilation or the child’s efforts to make environmental stimuli match his or her own concepts” (Lefrancois2012). Below is an outline of Piaget theory:

* The first stage is the Sensorimotor Period. (from Birth to 2)

This is the age group that I have selected. This stage is the stage of symbolic knowledge. During this stage infants and toddlers acquire their knowledge through sensory and manipulating objects. An example would be reflexes in a newborn child. It can lead up all the way to a Child sucking their thumb, and to then knowing that a rattle will make a sound when you hit it or shake it. This is the stage that they begin to understand the world through mental operations because they are too young to understand them through actions. Babies are egocentric because they can’t understand the wants and needs of others.

*Preoperational Stage (From 2 to 7) During this stage the child’s thinking is more dependent on sensory information. They usually focus on one dimension of a situation because they cannot coordinate two dimensions. For example, If I was to pour a cup of sand into a tall vase and pour the same amount of sand into a rounder vase then ask the child which one they have more will pick one or the other even if you performed this activity right in front of them. That’s because they are focused on the height or the thickness but does not realize that they both could have the same amount of sand. Preoperational thinking to me means magical thinking. Also, at this stage kids learn through pretend play. They still struggle with logic and the viewing points of others.

*Concrete Operational Stage (from 7 to 11) During this stage kids begin to think more logically. Although they are at the age where you think that they would be able to understand everything their thinking can still be very rigid. During this stage they also have a hard time with abstract concepts, and hypothetical concepts. For example, If I take 2 pieces of spaghetti and cook one a child will reply that the cooked one is shorter even if they are the same sized because they haven’t reach the conservation that things stay the same even if the appearances change.

*Formal Operational Stage (From adolescence to adulthood) This Happens to be the final stage of Piaget’s theory. During this stage they have an increase in logic and they can also reason. During this stage they also have a very good understanding of abstract ideas.

Piaget concludes that children who can make mistakes through trail and errors often go on to discover their errors, correct them, or find new solutions.

Preschoolers are often referred to as three and four-year old’s. The young acquiring minds express an interest in the world around them. Preschoolers are little scientist that want to touch, taste, smell, hear, and test things for themselves. They are eager to learn, and they learn from their play. They are busy developing using language and struggling to gain inner control. Preschoolers want to establish themselves as separate and independent which makes more independent than toddlers. They can express their needs and wants as their language skills are far more sophisticated than babies. According to Groark and Song (2012), “fears often develop during the preschool years. Common fears include new places and experiences and separation from parents and other important people”. While the preschooler searches for their identity, you can expect them to test your patience repeatedly. Preschoolers may still have trouble getting along with other children and sharing may still be difficult. Because of their developing imaginations and rich fantasy lives, they may have trouble telling fantasy from reality. As my niece did, they may also talk about imaginary friends. During this time in development its obvious preschoolers need clear and simple rules so that they know the boundaries of acceptable behavior. Below I have outlined of physical development, social and emotional development, and intellectual development.

Physical Development Social and Emotional Development Intellectual Development
Skipping Being in dramatic play with other students. Being interactive
Kick a ball Learning to share Paying attention is more better so they can interact more
Build tower of blocks Get excited when they can accomplish something Start to ask question about things.

According to Lefrancois play and child directed activity serve as a foundation of learning (Lefrancois, 2012). In the classroom it is important that the teacher have the classroom environment a place that the children can explore and enjoy. All classrooms should be filled with lots of excitement and learning material. In my classroom design I have a computer center, reading center, and art center. I feel that each center should have something that will catch the student’s attention and keep them busy. In a classroom having space is also very important, because the students will be able to move around without bumping each other or them hurting one another by accident. The introduction of Pathways to teaching young children: An introduction to early childhood education states that “teachers make intentional choices about room arrangement, selection and organization of materials, curriculum and types of learning experiences, and scheduling based on their knowledge and beliefs about early childhood education” (Estes2012). When you are setting up your classroom you should always set you classroom up so that the environment is safe for the children.

Preschoolers mostly learn by doing things they are interested in doing. They love to figure things out on their own through play and test there independency verbally and physically. Finding activity that is appropriate and fun for preschooler can be a bit challenging at times so here are some activities that I do in my classroom and outside of my classroom.

Circle time activities Sing the good morning song. Go over the day and day of the week on the calendar. Introduce the letter of the week and number of the week. Go over the color and sing the color song. Sing the nursery rhyme of the day.
Outdoor play Allow the children to run around the playground. Go get on the swing or slide. Play a game of kick ball or soccer ball. Allow the student to plant a seed of their choice.
Large group Activity Allow the children to all get together and put together a puzzle. Build a word: Student will have to get a block and math the letter to the block to make the word it shows. Set up a cooking area in the classroom and let the children pretend that they are cooks. Color name: In order for the children to spell their name in color they will have to match the color or each letter in their name correctly spell it out.

The activities that I have prepared for the children to do will helps to strengthen the child in areas such as language, social skills, physical activity and thinking skills. When the children are sing they are learning language. When the kids are sings nursery rhymes sometimes it is better to let then stand up and dance seeing some of the student dance while singing bring out so much excitement from them. Allowing the children to play game of kickball and soccer ball engages the child in physical and social play with peers. Piaget expressed that children discover themselves through play both verbally and non-verbally. They use all their muscles and senses to move around. Children use their large and small muscles as well as their different senses in play, children develop healthy, strong brain stimulation.

Being in this child development class I have learning a lot. I have learned more from this class than most of my previous classes. When children are born they start to develop many skills. And by the time they are age 2 to 3 their brains are like sponges, so they can take a lot of thing in and will be able to remember it. Children mostly develop through play because from the time they are babies they play with their parents, babysitter, or caregiver all the way up until they are entering preschool and by that time they will have learned a lot. When educators offer the proper support to children’s play, they create an environment that fosters their whole being. Adult roles and responsibilities are essential in encouraging children’s confidence to learn through play, in maintaining an environment that invites a positive self-image in play, and in enhancing the opportunities to expand positive relationships among the players.

When my students walk into my classroom I want them to feel welcome and like the environment that they are coming into. I want them to know that we are going to have fun and learn all at the same time and everyone will be able to all get alone. Teachers should portray themselves as positive role models and promote positive, safe, and fair learning experiences for their students. I am going to enjoy my job and prepare each day with a mindset of creating enjoyment for learning to my students. Each day in my class should be thought of as a time to expand and broaden the horizons for each of the little smiling faces.

My goal as a teacher is to always be respectful to my student, motivate them, encourage them, be honest with them and they should always know that they can come to me whenever they have a problem.

Reference

Estes.L.S. (2012). Pathways to teaching young children: An introduction to early childhood education. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Groark, C. &. (2012). Health and nutrition of children. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Lefrançois, G. R. (2012). Children’s journeys: Exploring early childhood. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

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