Whereas some four year olds could draw a person with five fingers on each hand and a full set of facial features, others could barely hold a pencil. Some sat quietly in a small group, intently listening to and understanding a story, while others wiggled, fidgeted, and couldn't focus their attention. In those days, before the explosion of…

Examines research on the importance of understanding children's biological timetables for mind and brain development, and forces that can threaten this neurodevelopmental timetable during critical periods. Discusses the brain's adaptability, and focuses on the importance of knowledge derived from the study of special populations for understanding…

Examines the transition from concrete to formal thought in Piagetian theory. The questions investigated relate to the abruptness of the transition period, the simultaneity of changes across schemes, and the influence of one scheme of development on another. (SA)

Research findings in the area of brain growth periodization establish that the human brain does not grow on a constant continuum. Eighty-five to ninety percent of youngsters of average and above ability experience periods of great brain growth between ages 3-10 months, 2-4 years, 6-8 years, 10-12 years, and 14-16+ years. Mental growth data have…

Details Piaget's four stages in the cognitive development of children--the sensorimotor period, pre-operational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage--and discusses their implications for the planning and design of programs for instructional television, and possible effects on mental development and the cognitive…

Children's learning of consumer economics concepts in two types of preschool teaching conditions was compared. Children in the Ausubelian program (high proportion of teacher-directed learning activities) achieved a significantly higher level of performance than did children in the Piagetian program (high proportion of child-directed activities.)…

Proposes that cognitive developmental stages can be accounted for in terms of information processing factors which limit the highest level of cognitive system which children can attain at any given age. Delineates four progressively more complex levels of cognitive mediation of the environment. Two experiments which support the developmental model…

Examines the theoretical basis of suggestions that children's brain size and intelligence grow in periodic spurts and plateaus and that schooling should be planned accordingly. A "mock debate" presents excerpts from researchers holding conflicting viewpoints on this issue. (TE)

Brain research has illuminated several areas of the learning process: (1) learning as association; (2) learning as reinforcement; (3) learning as perception; (4) learning as imitation; (5) learning as organization; (6) learning as individual style; and (7) learning as brain activity. The classic conditioning model developed by Pavlov advanced…

The appropriate age for starting school is discussed in relation to the ideas of Piaget, Hunt, and Moore. (SB)

Presents a rationale for teaching parenting to children, and through an analysis of Piaget's developmental stages, suggests that such instruction might appropriately begin at age seven when the child enters the concrete operations stage. Outlines implementation strategies, learning objectives, and sample instructional activities for a six-week…

Nine articles on the young adolescent consider the ability of middle schools to adapt to the needs of their students, the educational implications of preadolescent development, adolescent brain growth and cognitive ability, and the relevance of Piaget's psychology to the middle school. The authors' conclusions include the necessity to identify and…

Two studies explored the possibility of inducing conservation understanding in intellectually normal preschoolers and mildly mentally retarded children of comparable mental age. Retarded children, MA 3-10 to 5-0, received Verbal Rule instruction. Three- and 4-year-old children were given Verbal Rule training in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design…

The development of economic reasoning in young children is examined from the theoretical perspective of Piaget's work on cognitive development. To determine a possible correlation between grade level and the type of reasoning children use to approach economic problems, 70 urban children, preschool through grade 3, answered questions which measured…

This paper examines the educational philosophy underlying Waldorf Education, focusing on Rudolf Steiner's concept of "vital" or etheric energy and comparing Piaget's and Steiner's stages of cognition. The paper begins with a discussion of school readiness and the trend toward lowering the school entry age, and maintains that this trend…