Unit 4: Preschoolers. How Preschool Children Learn Piaget’s 2 nd stage = preoperational change 1....
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Transcript of Unit 4: Preschoolers. How Preschool Children Learn Piaget’s 2 nd stage = preoperational change 1....
Unit 4: Preschoolers
How Preschool Children LearnPiaget’s 2nd stage = preoperational change
1. Preconceptional Substage Children ages two to four are beginning to develop
some concepts Children are able to form a mental image of what
they see around them However, many of these concepts are incomplete or
illogical Children may see different members of the same
group as identical, such as all collies as Lassie.
2. Intuitive Substage Children sometimes are able to grasp a problem’s
solution by how they feel about it. Children base their solutions on “feeling” their way
through problems rather than on logic. For example, a child standing on the ladder of a
slide may say to his or her parent, “I’m taller than you,” because he or she can see over the parent's head. The intuitive preschooler doesn't use logic, such as “I may look taller, but my feet are higher than my parent’s feet; thus I am still shorter than my parent.”
Obstacles to Logical Thinking Most children are still egocentricEgocentrism = the belief a person has that
everyone thinks in the same way and has the same ideas as he or he does. Egocentrism, in this sense, does not mean
children are selfish or too concern with themselves
New Abilities EmergeSymbolic PlayMental ImagesDrawing Language
Symbolic PlayPretend Games
They change things in some way or ways from the real world or dreams
Objects may stand for anything the child wantsRoles may change, too, as the child can take on
adult or even animal roles Leaf = plate Stuffed Bear = child
What is she “playing?”
What are they “playing?”
Mental ImagesMental Images = Symbols of objects and past
experiences that are stored in the mind.1. Private and Internalized (thought about only)2. Mental images are not exact copies of real
objects and experiences, but they do relate to the real world. For example….
DrawingPreschool children no longer scribbleThey now attempt to draw objects and depict
their world through drawingsPreschoolers intend their drawings to be realistic
They draw what they think or know about a person, not what is visually accurate For example: a side view of a goldfish in a drawing may
show both eyes and even a smiling mouth. Drawing is a step between symbolic play and mental images
Preschoolers draw first then decide what their pictures represent
As children get older, they decide what to draw, form a mental image then draw!
LanguageSpoken words are symbols used to represent
something.Words are also more abstract (do not relate to
what they represent) compared with many other symbols.For example, the word car does not look, sound, or
move like a car.Once language abilities develop, the child can
exchange ideas with others and thus learn!Children can also think with words!Thinking is faster using words compared with
actions, too!
What Preschool Children LearnConcepts Children Learn
Physical AttributesLogical Thinking Concepts
Classifying Objects Arranging by Size Understanding Number Concepts Understanding Spatial Concepts Understanding Time Concepts
Cause and Effect
Physical AttributesPreschool children develop concepts about:
SizeShapeColorTextureEtc.
Preschool children are limited in their thinking about physical attributes.
1. The child may not note the object’s most important features For example, the child must note a zebra’s stripes
to distinguish it from a horse. If the child notes the zebra’s ears, this will not help, horses have similar ears.
2. Preschoolers tend to look at parts of an object, they cannot always mentally “see the whole object. For example…
Classifying ObjectsClassifying = the ability to choose an
attribute and group all the objects from a set
Arranging by SizeOften preschool children cannot arrange
objects by increasing or decreasing size, weight, or volume.
Understanding Number ConceptsMany preschoolers can count.However, counting does not show they
understand numbers.For example, a child may be able to count to
five, but they may not be able to count out five apples.
Understanding Number ConceptsOnce they can count objects successfully,
preschoolers still do not completely understand number concepts.
It also requires seeing relationships!Unlike each object that has its own name,
numbers refer to groups. The number does not really refer to just the last object named; but also to the entire group. Thus, a child must mentally see that one is in
two and two is in three!
Understanding Number ConceptsPreschoolers really struggle with number
concepts such as:LessFewManySome
Understanding Spatial ConceptsPreschool children understand the words:
UpDownLeftRightUnderOver HereThere
Understanding Spatial ConceptsHowever, until about age five years,
preschoolers may not know what is on the other side of a wall in their own homes!
Understanding Spatial ConceptsPreschool children also draw they think
about space rather than what they see. Learning left and right from another’s
perspective is hard– especially if the person is facing them!
Allowing a child to help set the table, helps them learn these concepts!
Understanding Time ConceptsPreschoolers can recall the recent pastYesterday is recalled but a week or a year ago
may be forgotten. Children link time to events, such as time to eat
lunch.They cannot see time passing.Morning, afternoon, and seasonal changes are
gradual.For these reasons, time concepts are hard to
understandThey are among the last concepts to develop!
Cause and EffectPreschoolers try to understand cause and
effectThey ask questions to try to understand
“What causes the rain?”“What will happen to my dead fish?”
Cause and Effect
Preschoolers may assign human qualities to nonhumans, such as plants, animals and objects.
Sometimes they use this to avoid being punished and they say, “My teddy bear left my toys outside!”
Sometimes preschoolers reverse cause and effect. They may say, “Because I’m staying in bed, I am ill.”
Language Abilities Increased Due to egocentrism, sometimes preschoolers
do not communicate all the needed information when speaking with others.They may begin their story in the middle rather
than the beginning because they think the listener already knows the beginning!
“She is eating!” Preschoolers assume you know who “she” is.
Articulation of PreschoolersMost toddlers have some problems making
all the sounds in their spoken language. In the English language, children master
sound between ages three and eight years.
Age Sound Word Examples
3 Years MNPHW
monkey, hammer, broom, nails, penny, lion, pig, happy, cup hand, doghouse, window,
bowl
4 Years BKGF
boat, baby, tub, cat, chicken, book, girl, wagon, pig, fork,
telephone, knife
5 Years Y NGD
yellow, onion, fingers, ring, dog, ladder, bed
90% of all preschool children master these sound by the given age!
Vocabulary of Preschoolers3 years = 900 words4 years = 1,500 words5 years = 2,000 words
Grammar of the PreschoolerSentence structure becomes much more
complexDo not seem to notice proper word order
Grammar at Three Years
Grammar at Four and Five Years
•The -ing verb ending used.
•Rolling, Falling
•Past tense for regular verbs (-ed) used.
•Rolled, Walked
•Past tense for some irregular verbs.
•Sank, ate•The –s for making plural used.
•Cars, dolls•The –’s for possessive used.
•Bob’s, Daddy’s
•Longer, more complex sentences
•Lengthen their sentences by using clauses, conjunctions, and prepositions.
•May still find the word order of questions confusing.
1. Why do adults sometimes confuse preschoolers’ egocentrism with selfishness? What, if anything, might an adult say or do to help these children develop a less egocentric point of view?
2. How can a preschool teacher who has many dramatic play, art and literature/language activities justify these intellectual and not “just play” activities?