Teaching by Operational Stage

According to Piaget's theory, there are important methods to stick to in order to achieve the highest quality of learning. Following these tips maximize the students' understanding, and accommodates their thinking process. This methods vary depending on their level of intelligence based on Piaget's theory of Cognitive Development.

Toddlers through early childhood age are considered to be in the pre-operational stage. The best ways to fit their needs is to ...

- Use visual aids like drawings and illustrations.

- Cut down the lesson time to increase the learning time. Students of this stage learn best when shown through demonstration and actions. Instructions should be quick and to the point. Both actions and words should we used in unison in order to ensure understanding and clear up any confusion.

- Utilize their mindset. Piaget believes that children of this age tend to be egocentric. Making the lessons relate to their own life experience is more effective than forcing them to see in a perspective too foreign.

- Physical practice are the building blocks for later development. Workbooks and writing may present the information concretely, but children of this stage need to be given objects and play things which symbolize the point of the task given.

- Further their understanding of object manipulation to encourage thinking outside the box and beyond what is just in front of them. Material such as sand, clay, or water can give great visualization representing conservation. Pouring water into two differently shaped glasses with the same mass helps develop their two-way logic.

- Teach words to describe their senses. At this age, the child is experiencing something new on a regular basis. Helping them formulate words to express what they're seeing, feeling, doing, tasting, touching, etc. will do a world of good.

- Experience the world! Go on field trips or explore the lessons they are learning from television shows.

Middle childhood students are typically in the concrete operational stage. The best teaching methods for these learners are to ...

- Simplify detailed lessons into visual models. For example, a 3D solar system model or a time line of the Civil War.

- Show progression. Begin with short stories that have clear and chronological chapters, and slowly move up difficulty levels. Step-by-step progression will help stop any confusion before it is too jumbled or delayed.

- Allow the student to be hands on. Demonstrate experiments for science lessons, or let the students dress up in traditional clothing of that history lesson's era.

- Keep it concise. Do not ask the students to deal with more than 3 or 4 variables at a time. Readings should have only a few characters, and science experiments should have a small amount of steps.

- Make the lessons relatable. For complex lessons, use familiar examples that could be seen in the student's own life to give the student perspective. Story problems in math or connecting a story book character to themselves will increase clarity.

- Give the students the chance to classify and group objects. Outlines, analogies, and hierarchies will improve their understanding of relationships and apply knowledge they already know into another aspect of learning. Connecting sentences to make a paragraph is a valuable lesson they will benefit from.

- Let them use logical. This is the beginning of their analytical thinking, so provide riddles and brain teasers. Discuss open-ended questions or questions with many answers.

Adolescences are considered to be in the starting stages of the formal operational stage. The tips for concrete operational stage learners apply, like using visual aids and demonstrating using clear diagrams. These learners can be taught better by ...

- Continually asking "WHY?" Letting the student do the explaining will help them think of the different positions they consider when choosing a response. Include essay questions and short answers to help the student think outside the facts they memorized from a textbook. Considering why they think in a certain way will improve their logical thinking.

- Using hypothetical questioning. The adolescence now has the ability to see in many different perspectives, so letting them hypothesize about other worlds or discussing current social issues will utilize this.

- Focusing on broad concepts. Just repeating what was taught or memorizing facts will not stick with the learner for long. Let them apply the current lesson to different aspects of their life. Use popular lyrics to point out different figurative speech or elements of writing.

Woolfolk & McCune-Nicolich. (1984). Educational psychology for teachers. (2nd Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.