The arts should be part of the core curriculum because human cognition is wider than discourse and because the forms one is able to use define the scope of the reality that one can know. (Author/IRT)

Discusses problems in both the "unfolding from within" and "enforcement from without" theories of children's cognitive development. Suggests that "mediation from above," which assumes that children are not independent beings, at least in the beginning, offers additional insight into children's interactions with adults. (WD)