Piagetian Learning Theories

Learning Theory Blog Post by: Rhonda Adams
 
Piaget's learning theories are centered around his stages of cognitive development.  He devised a system to show the developmental stages of children to better understand how children learn.  The first stage is sensorimotor which is from birth to 2 years.  Preoperational is 2 to 7 years, Concrete operational is 7 years to 11 years, and abstract thinking is 11 years and up.  He theorized that every person must go through each of these stages in their life, and they don't skip any stages. 
 
Using these stages, Piaget learned that students need a discovery based learning environment making activities enriching and engaging, providing experiences to help them through each of these stages.
 
I chose Piaget’s Learning Theory because his theories most closely resemble my own style of teaching in the classroom. He was the first to describe learning as a series of discoveries and that students need to be given opportunities to do and undo their work to better understand and conceptualize their thoughts and experiences. In an ideal classroom setting, the teacher will provide activities, experiences and guidance, to help students explore the ideas and concepts to better understand the information. 
 
In the 21st Century classroom, technology is the reality of Piaget’s theories in which a successful classroom is Learner-Based. Software, hardware, virtual reality and role playing games all provide opportunities for discovery based learning. But simply providing software for “drill and kill” does not support his ideas. The technology must enhance the experiences and provide opportunities to explore. Video games provide this, if appropriated in an ideal setting of education and instruction. 
 
To often gamers are written off as a “waste” of intellectual talent. Hopefully, using Piaget’s research, we can find a way to bridge the gap between the video gamers and education to propel our future students towards a successful education.
 
Some websites to read more about Piaget are:
 
 
This website shows Piaget's developmental stages.
 
 
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Any opinions expressed here, except as specifically noted, are those of the individual authors or commenters and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, or Utah State University.