GOOD DAY!

OBJECTIVES

Define Cognitive theory and Discourse theory.

Discover the concepts and principles underlying
the two theories.
Understand the significance of both language
acquisition theories.
Discuss the significance of these theories in
relation to children's learning on language.
COGNITIVE THEORY
Jean Piaget
 BACKGOUND
 Jean Piaget is a Swiss Psychologist
 Cognitive theory is a psychological approach to understanding
how the brain works. We can use cognitive theory to help us
understand how human beings learn languages, whether this is
a first language or a second language.
 Cognitive theory is grounded in the idea that individuals must
first understand a concept before they can use language to
express it. In order to understand new concepts, children (or
adults) must develop their cognitive abilities and build their
own mental image of the world.
 JEAN PIAGET'S THEORY OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT

- suggests that children move through four

different stages of mental development. His
theory focuses not only on understanding how
children acquire knowledge, but also on
understanding the nature of intelligence.
 STAGES OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
Sensorimotor Stage: birth to 2 years
Preoperational Stage: ages 2 to 7
Concrete Operational Stage: ages 7 to 11
Formal Operational Stage: ages 12 and
up
The Sensorimotor Stage
Ages: Birth to 2 Years
 The Sensorimotor Stage
Ages: Birth to 2 Years

Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:

The infant knows the world through their movements and sensations
Children learn about the world through basic actions such as sucking, grasping,
looking, and listening
Infants learn that things continue to exist even though they cannot be seen
(object permanence)
 They realize that their actions can cause things to happen in the world around
them
The Preoperational Stage
Ages: 2 to 7 Years
 The Preoperational Stage
Ages: 2 to 7 Years

Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:

Children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and
pictures to represent objects.
Children at this stage tend to be egocentric and struggle to see
things from the perspective of others.
While they are getting better with language and thinking, they still
tend to think about things in very concrete terms.
The Concrete Operational Stage
Ages: 7 to 11 Years
The Concrete Operational Stage
Ages: 7 to 11 Years
Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:
During this stage, children begin to think logically about concrete
events.
They begin to understand the concept of conservation; that the
amount of liquid in a short, wide cup is equal to that in a tall, skinny
glass, for example.
Operational thinking develops
(mental actions that are reversible)
Egocentric thought diminishes
The Formal Operational Stage
Ages: 12 and up
The Formal Operational Stage
Ages: 12 and up
Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:
At this stage, the adolescent or young adult begins to think
abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems
Abstract thought emerges
Teens begin to think more about moral, philosophical, ethical,
social, and political issues that require theoretical and abstract
reasoning
Begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general principle
to specific information
 Concepts of Piaget's Stages of
Development

Along with the stages of development,

Piaget's theory has several other main
concepts.
 Concepts of Piaget's Stages of
Development
Schemas are thought processes that
are essentially building blocks of
knowledge. A child, for example, knows
that a dog has four leg, tail and barks.
That's a schema.
 Concepts of Piaget's Stages of
Development
Assimilation is how you use your
existing schemas to interpret a new
situation or object. For example, a child
sees another dog but this time a smaller
one.
 Concepts of Piaget's Stages of
Development
Accommodation is what happens when you
change a schema, or create a new one, to fit
new information you learn. The child
accommodates when they understand that
not all furry, four-legged creatures are cats.
 Concepts of Piaget's Stages of
Development

Equilibration happens when you're

able to use assimilation to fit in most of
the new information you learn. So you're
not constantly adding new schemas.