HDFS 301: The Ways In Which Children Learn

Child learn in a variety of ways. By studying the ways in which our children learn, educators, physicians, and many more can develop a better idea of ho wand why a child acts in the ways that they do. Below, you will find the most common theories behind learning.

Piaget: Cognitive Development Theory

Piaget's theory is broken down into four major areas: sensorimotor, pre operational, concrete operational, and formal operational. From an early childhood perspective, we will focus on the sensorimotor stage.

Sensorimotor

The sensorimotor stage can be broken down into 6 substages.

Sensorimotor Substage 1

Reflexive Schemes - birth to 1 month

Reflexive schemes are, according to Piaget, the first stage in learning. Reflexive Schemes are those actions taken by an infant that lay the groundwork for all later learning. These include gazing or staring at adults, sucking, and rotating their heads toward stimulation (Berk, 2016, p.142,203).

Sensorimotor Substage 2

Primary Circular Reactions - 1 to 4 months

Primary Circular Reactions consist of repeated actions that are motivated by the infant's basic needs. These actions include sucking on hands and fingers and crying when needs are not met. Some basic instincts will disappear at this stage (Berk, 2016, p.203).

Sensorimotor Substage 3

Secondary Circular Reactions - 4 to 8 months

Secondary Circular Reactions are what give an infant the ability to attempt to make interesting things last, repeated actions directed at receiving a responses and are focused on external events and objects (Berk, 2016, p. 203).

Sensorimotor Substage 4

Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions - 8 to 12 months

Substage 4 is the period in which an infant begins to coordinate schemes to achieve a goal, gains an understanding of object permanence, and will begin to manipulate items (Berk, 2016, p. 203)

Sensorimotor Substage 5

Tertiary Circular Reactions - 12 to 18 months

Substage 5 is the time in which an infant begins to actively explore and develop their curiosity in novel ways. This is when infants can begin to become mischievous by putting things in their mouths, taking objects, and exploring their world (Berk, 2016, p. 203).

Sensorimotor Substage 6

Mental Representations - 18 to 24 months

During this substage, infants begin the transition from the sensorimotor stage to the pre operational stage. They will also begin to remember and copy behaviors that they observe. Infants will also solve problems in their heads and not use the trial and error method (Berk, 2016, p. 203,208).

Piaget's Theory Today

Many of today's scientists disagree with Piaget.

Not so Straightforward

Many scientists believe that Piaget's thoughts about the sensorimotor stage producing all mental representations are not fully correct. However, there is a widespread dispute over exactly what he got right and what could be tweaked in his theory (Berk, 2016, p. 211)

Continuous vs. Discontinuous

Piaget thought that the infant learning process was not fluid and smooth, but rather abrupt and occurring in stages therefore making it discontinuous. Today's scientists disagree. There is a widespread agreement in the field that this type of learning is continuous (Berk, 2016, p. 213).

What Piaget Got Right

Piaget's theory led the way for groundbreaking research in the field of cognition. These basic claims that he made allowed for conflicting research, supporting research, and an overall better sense of how infants learn (Berk, 2016, p.213).

Practical Value

Piaget's ideas and theories have allowed for many different people to gain valuable insight into the minds of infants and children. These include, caregivers, physicians, and educators. With Piaget's ideas mind, all of these people can construct appropriate activities, exams, and environments for children (Berk, 2016, p. 213).

Other Sources

1. site

This site describes Piaget's life, work, and delves deeper into his theory of cognitive development.

2. https://www.nap.edu/read/9853/chapter/7#84

This site details not only Piaget's theory, but also the other theories around infant cognition.

3. http://news.mit.edu/2011/infant-cognition-0527

This article explains in detail about an experimental study that is centered on infant cognition and the infant mind.