Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Paper Summary:

This paper defines and details Piaget's theory of cognitive development which became popular in the 1960s. This paper delves into the principles of Piaget's theory pertaining to the human mind and how it processes and retains information in the early stages of life. The writer of this paper analyzes the manner in which Piaget's cognitive development philosophy can be seen in practice in math books geared towards young children. Using Piaget's theory as a guide writers of math books build upon the assumption that children grasp the most basic of concepts thereby giving them the tools necessary to discover and understand the basics of mathematics. This paper details the manner in which this particular theory has already been put into practice and its resulting impact. One of the examples discussed in this paper include the "Monster Math Picnic" by Grace Maccarone which focuses on adding and subtracting by way of rhyming which encourages young children to think about math in a fun yet educational way.

From the Paper:

"Having an understanding of the stages of learning, according to Piaget helps one to determine the best way to convey information, such as mathematical concepts at certain stages. Rote learning, for example, is one such way very young children retain what they learn. Rather than promoting understanding through illustrating the idea, the author uses "sufficient repetition." Yet while rote learning can be effective in learning to count, it seems to lose its effectiveness when the child more complicated tasks such as addition and subtraction. A book that makes effective use of rote learning is 123 Count with Me! a counting book published by the makers of Sesame Street. In the story, the character of Cookie monster counts to ten by eating cookies. First he puts one cookie in his mouth. And then after he eats it, he then puts two cookies in his mouth."

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