SEMESTER SPRING 2019

Learning Theories (EDU201)

Assignment No. 01

Student Name: Alpha Bravo Charlie

Student ID: VU123456789
Due Date: 27-05-2019

Q1. As a teacher of a school, how can you apply the Piaget’s stages of cognitive
development in your class?

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development:

There are four stages of Piaget’s cognitive development. These four stages are
about the stages of development of child from birth to above 11 years. The three
basic components of cognitive theory are:

 Schemas: Building blocks of knowledge

 Adaptation processes: Enabling the transition from one stage to another

 Stages of development

Stages of development

Assimilation, accommodation and equilibrium plays very important role in the

stages of development. According to Piget, a child learns in four stages. The process
of learning in each stage is different.

Students of these all stages learn in each school except first stage that is
sensorimotor stage. Teachers should teach a student according to his stage. Now I
discuss the ways in which I can apply these four stages in a class or school.
Piaget’s First Stage of Cognitive Development:

Piget’s first stage is called Sensorimotor Stage. From birth to 2 years old
children are included in this stage. Students of this stage do not learn in school
rather they learn at home because they are not able to go to school. A mother’s lap is
the first school so children learn from their mothers, elders and the environment in
this stage.

Piaget’s Second stage of Cognitive Development

The second stage of Piaget’s cognitive development is Preoperational Stage.

Children from 2 years to 7 years are included in this stage. As a teacher I would
apply this stage in the following ways:

 Use of easy language with students.

 There are many difficulties in this stage of students so I can classify, modify
and clarify everything to them.

 Children in this stage quickly gain attractive knowledge so I can teach them by
different colourful and interesting things and by games.

 In this stage, children have symbolic thoughts so I can use symbols and
examples while teaching them. I can also teach them by relating difficult
knowledge by symbols.

 I can increase their self-confidence by appreciating them.

Piaget’s Third Stage of Cognitive Development:

Piaget’s third stage of development is concrete operational stage. Children of 7

years to 11 years are included in this stage.
  In this stage children are able to understand difficult knowledge so as a
teacher I can share complicated matters with them like involve them in solving
mathematical questions, discuss political matters with them. I can also give
them tasks of self-writing.

 In this stage children classify objects by several features and can place them
in order so I can get help from them in arrangement of classroom and can get
ideas from them in decoration of classroom.

 In this stage children enter in the level of maturity. They are able to learn rules
so I can teach them rules like how to behave in classroom, how to ask
question during lesson and how to respect their teachers etc.

 They recognize conservation of numbers, mass and weigh so I can involve

them in complex mathematical problems.

Piget’s Forth Stage of Cognitive development:

Piget’s fourth stage of cognitive development is called Formal Operational

stage. In this stage the age of adult is 11 years and up.

 In this stage an adult enters in the high level of maturity so I can discuss
complex matters of life with them. I can talk with them about the reality of life.

 In this stage adults are able to do self-writing so I can give them tasks of self-
writing to know the thinking of them whether it is negative or positive. I can
give them self-writing on political issues, aim of life and reality of life etc.

 In this stage, adults are so excited about their future so I can help them about
planning of their future. I can help them about their future after knowing their
aim of life. I can guide them that which field is better for them in future.
  Most of the students are emotional in this stage, so, as a teacher I should not
use harsh words with them during teaching and should not point out them
every time during lecture. I should use kind words with them and also behave
kindly with them. If I would be strict to such students, then in future these
students will involve in bad activities.

So, in this way I can apply Piget’s stages of cognitive development in classroom.
According to Piaget a student who had not completed certain development stages
could not learn things from higher developmental stage.

Q2. How can a teacher use the operant conditioning in class, share one example?
You can share example from your own experience.

Operant conditioning:

Operant conditioning (or instrumental conditioning) is a type of learning in

which an individual’s behaviour is modified by its antecedents and consequences.

Operant conditioning is distinguished from classical conditioning (or

respondent conditioning) in that operant conditioning deals with the reinforcement
and punishment to change behaviour.

Operant behaviour operates on the environment and is maintained by its

antecedents and consequences, while classical conditioning is maintained by
conditioning of reflexive (reflex) behaviours, which are elicited by antecedent
conditions. Behaviours conditioned through a classical conditioning procedure are
not maintained by consequences. They both, however, from the core of behaviour
analysis and have grown into professional practices.

Example

In classroom if a student behaves rudely with other students and does not
gives positive result in study then teacher should punish him to change his rude
behaviour and to increase his interest in studies. If teacher would not punish him
then he will continuously behave rudely with students and will give negative result in
studies.

On the other hand if the behaviour of a student in classroom is good, he is not

much better in studies but he tries to improve his result. In this way teacher should
appreciate him. The appreciation of teacher will increase courage of student to
improve his result in exams.

Operant condition is based on the punishment / reward which brings change.

So, punishment and reward is necessary during learning process.