Pedagogical principles derived from Piaget's theory: relevance for educational practice - Essay Example

Piagets theory: Relevance for educational practice Although Piaget’s three principles are not in complete agreement with the current practices in use, they are justifiable and can be proved to work. This paper will give the commentaries of Piaget’s theory. Piaget sharply criticizes the current teaching practices, while at the same time offers suggestions to make them incorporate activities that will make learning a construction from within the learners. In his first theory, he is against the aspect of teaching children simply by talking to them (Kamii 200).

He advocates for a move towards making learning activities inclusive of the students’ own initiative and thinking. He further argues against the teachings being what the teachers want them to be. In the second principle, he suggested increased social interaction amongst children, offering that different children at similar cognitive levels can help one another build their intellectual development outside their own presumed limits (Kamii 200). He supports this with the fact that a conflict of beliefs among children can bring about awareness to different viewpoints to make them understand better.

He points out that current practices lack the platform to purposefully set up classrooms to allow and encourage children of similar cognitive abilities to exchange views (Kamii 200). The third principle states the significance of intellectual activities based on practical experience, as opposed to language. A child should be allowed to give wrong answers severally before viewing a problem in an adult’s logic (Kamii 201). Although Piaget agreed with others who developed active methods that involved actions rather than just listening to teachers, he still faulted them.

For instance, he criticized Montessori for wanting to give learning materials to children that would engage their free, spontaneous activities to develop intelligence, terming the materials as based on an adult and artificial psychology (Kamii 202). Likewise, he credited Pestalozzi’s school for having cooperative pupils who helped each other with research, but criticized him for preoccupation with the idea of shifting from the simple to the complex in all teaching domains (Kamii 203). In conclusion, Piaget suggests that the teacher’s work is to figure out the learner’s reasoning and what he already knows.

A teacher is not supposed to pass over readymade knowledge and moral standards to students, but provide the chance for them to build their own. Piaget places emphasis on the student’s own thinking and judgment (Kamii 214). Work CitedKamii, Constance. Piaget in the classroom. 1973. Print.