Theories of Development Chapter 3-3 & 4-2

Group Work What characteristics would you give to students in the following age categories? 2-5 5-7 7-11 11-15 15-18

Theories of Development Piaget’s Model of Cognitive Development Erikson’s Model of Psychosocial Development Kohlberg’s Model of Moral Development

Piaget’s Model of Cognitive Development Children reason differently from adults and even have different perceptions of the world Children learn through actively interacting with their environments Child’s thinking progresses through a sequence of four cognitive stages Sensorimotor Intelligence (birth- 2yrs) Preoperational Stage (2-7yrs) Concrete Operations Stage (7-11yrs) Formal Operations Stage (11-15yrs)

Piaget: Preoperational Thought 2-7 years Development of language and rapid conceptual development Use symbols to think of objects and people outside of their immediate environment Fantasy and imaginative play are natural modes of thinking

Piaget: Concrete Operations 7-11 years Develop logical thought to solve concrete problems Basic concepts of objects, number, time, space, and causality are explored and mastered Through use of concrete objects to manipulate, children are able to draw conclusions

Piaget: Formal Operations 11-15 years Can make predictions Think about hypothetical situations Think about thinking Appreciate the structure of language as well as use it to communicate Sarcasm Puns Argumentation slang

Group Work Piaget: working with students How would you work with students in the following stages in a science class teaching about electricity? Preoperational Stage? Concrete-Operational Stage? Formal Operations Stage?

Erikson’s Model of Psychosocial Development 8 stages, each driven by a psychosocial crisis for the individual’s emotional and social growth Stages start at infancy and go through old age

Erikson’s School Age Stages Play age 3-6yrs Initiative vs. guilt Find independence School age 6-12yrs Industry vs. inferiority More assertive, more initiative, more forceful leading to guilt Adolescence Identity vs. role confusion Must learn new skills or risk a sense of inferiority, failure, and incompetence Young Adult Young adulthood Intimacy vs. isolation Teenager achieve identity in occupation, gender roles, politics, and religion

Kohlberg’s Model of Moral Development Reasoning process people use to decide what is right and wrong evolves through three levels of development 50% late adolescents and adults are capable of full formal reasoning Not related to IQ or verbal intelligence

Kohlberg’s Model of Moral Development Stages Preconventional level Individual decides what is right based on personal needs and rules developed by others Conventional level Moral decisions reflect a desire for the approval of others and a willingness to conform to the expectations of family, community, and country Post-conventional level Values and principles based on rational, personal choices that can be separated fro conventional values

Kohlberg’s Model of Moral Development Critiques Too systematic and sequential Limited focusing on moral reasoning instead of actual behavior Biased looking at moral development from a male perspective

Kohlberg’s conditions to internalize moral principles Exposure to the next higher stage of reasoning Exposure to situations posing problems and contradictions for the child’s current moral structure, leading to dissatisfaction with his/her current level Atmosphere of interchange and dialogue combining the first two conditions, in which conflicting moral views are compared in an open matter