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Part 1: Who is Jean Piaget, and why should children’s ELT teachers be familiar with his work?日期：2007-08-06 点击： 作者：秦 博 来源：中国英语学习网PART 1; Who is Jean Piaget, and why should children’s ELT teachers be familiar with his work? Jean Piaget and Cognitive Development Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a Swiss-born psychologist and scientist who essentially invented the field of cognitive development. Although he was not a teacher, he spent much of his life observing children; he was fascinated by the way children’s minds work. If you listen to children talking, you will immediately recognise that they live in a different world from adults. Children have their own logical world, full of magic, superstition and fanciful explanations. It was Piaget’s genius to recognise that this “childish” logic is entirely correct, as part of a child’s exploration and attempts to make sense of the world. It is a characteristic of modern educational theory that teachers should recognise children’s language as a positive sign of interaction rather than a bunch of mistakes to be corrected. Indeed, the making of mistakes actually reveals evidence of learning (Ginsburg and Opper, 1988). The stages of cognitive development Piaget, having recognised that children’s thought evolves over time, divided cognitive development into 4 phases; 1) the sensorimotor phase, from 0-3 years 2) the pre-operational phase, from 3-7 years 3) the concrete operational phase, from 7-12 years 4) the phase of formal operations, 12years and older For the purposes of this essay, I intend to focus on the first three stages only. From the phase of formal operations, children are capable of abstract thought. As such (together with the physical changes that come with puberty), it is correct to say that humans at this stage are no longer “children”, rather they are adolescents. It is also important to point out here that; by definition, cognitive development is a process; change is gradual, barely perceptible on a day to day basis, and will vary from individual to individual (Boyle, 1969). I believe that all children’s ELT teachers should be familiar with the stages of cognitive development; without being aware of what student’s are capable (or incapable) of doing, it is impossible to even begin planning a children’s lesson. Second language acquisition is not independent from cognitive development, indeed they are inter-dependent; a thorough knowledge of the stages of cognitive development is essential for all those involved in educating a child. “No amount of training in understanding the material world will assist the comprehension of the child who is not ready for it; on the other hand, inadequate training of a child who is old enough to understand may hinder his development . . . the right experiences must be given to the child at the favourable time; in other words that the teacher must not force learning on the child, but should seek to provide the optimum conditions for his development” (Boyle, p. 48, 1969). The Sensorimotor stage; 0-3 years. Please see fig. 1 for a summary of the characteristics of this stage. The Sensorimotor stage; 0-3 years · Imitate · Follow intonation more than words · Develop control over their own bodies · Sing rather than speak · Egocentric · Treat play as serious work · Misunderstand many situations · Pre-logical · Interested in the real world of objects rather than pictures · Idiosyncratic use of language · Don’t understand the concept of “rules” · Don’t understand the concept of time It is vital for ELT teachers to realize that at this stage of development, children understand far more than they say. The ELT teacher should not underestimate what children can be told; at this stage, children’s “receptive” language ability is far in advance of their “productive” language ability. When speaking to children at this stage of development, the instructor should use a) slower, more clearly pronounced delivery b) short, syntactically similar phrases and sentences c) higher pitched voice, with greatly exaggerated intonation d) clear and simple meaning e) lots of repetition Given the characteristics of this stage of development, ELT teachers should A) use lots of TPR B) primarily sing and chant rather than speak C) have a wide range of activities prepared, due to the short attention span D) use a purely communicative approach E) have a child-friendly, safe classroom environment F) ensure there is a native speaker in the classroom or nearby The Pre-Operational Phase; 3-7 years Please see fig.2 for a summary of the characteristics of this stage. The Pre-Operational Stage; 3-7 years · Imitate and can experiment · Can understand words as meanings · Socio-centric rather than egocentric · Enjoys co-operative play · Understand the will of others, but are strong-willed · Begin to distinguish between work and play · Enjoy stories · Blur fact and fiction · Love fantasy and imagination · Can think logically as far as their knowledge permits · Understand the concept of rules · Understand “fair” and “unfair” With both the sensorimotor and pre-operational stages of development, it is important to have whole-child involvement, with the use of as many senses as possible. Showing a picture of a boy running or hopping is not nearly as effective as students doing the actions themselves. This is a vital point for ELT teachers to understand. It is also important to note here that children at the first two stages of development are easily drawn into conflict if there is only one of a certain toy or object. It may be a good idea to ensure there is “one for everybody in the audience”, to avoid fights, crying or hurt feelings. The Concrete Operational Phase; 7-12 years Please see fig. 3 for a summary of the characteristics of this stage. The Concrete Operational Stage; 7-12 years · Can fully express themselves verbally · Can use reasoning and logic · Understand “right” and “wrong” · Know their own likes and dislikes · Form strong friendships · Enjoy group play · Can hide their personalities · Can tell fact from fiction · Enjoy elaborating on things · Moving away from imaginative life · Good at memorisation and recall
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