Child Development and

Pedagogy Lecture 3
Piaget Theories part 1
 Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget
Theories
According to Piaget Development is a spontaneous process tied to embryogenesis whereas learning is
provoked by external situations.

Embryogenesis concerns the development of the body as well as development of nervous system and
development of mental functions
According to piaget our thinking process change radically , though slowly from birth to
maturity.
He identifies four factors :

1. Unfolding of the biological changes that are genetically

Maturation programmed.

2. Activity With maturation comes the increasing ability to act on the enviornment and learn from
it.Ex : Child may discover principles of balance by experimenting with a see saw.

3. Social The process of development also involves interacting with the people around us. Acc to
piaget , our congnitive development is influenced by social transmission , or learning from
others.
transmissio
n Actual changes in thinking process take place through the process of equilibration -Act of
4.
searching for balance.
Equilibration
 Piaget Theory of Child
Development
According to piaget all species inherits two functions: Adaptation Adapting to their enviornment
Two processes:
Organization
Assimilatio Trying to understand something
we organize our thinking processes into psychological new by fitting into what we
n
structures. already know.
These structures are our systems for understanding the
Assimilation is like adding air into a balloon.
world. these are called schemes
According to piaget schemes are the basic Ex. A child's scheme of a tree is “ green” and “brown”
building blocks of thinking. these are very small woodpulp. But later he will add more information like
or specific. some trees lose their leaves , some have their names
like christmas tree or mango tree
sucking through a straw scheme, recognize a flower
scheme.
Accomodatio
n
If data can not be made to fit to any existing schemes,
then make appropreciate structures.

EX: all dogs are thought to be black. but seeing a white

dog needs the schema to be changed.