Question+3

3. Are the learning tasks appropriate for the cognitive developmental stage of the students, as conceived by Piaget?

Part A.

The learning tasks in this fourth grade lesson plan are appropriate for the concrete operational stage of cognitive development, as conceived by Piaget. This lesson requires fourth grade students to think logically about concrete events of the life cycle of a plant and sort plants according to their characteristics into two basic categories. Students are required to think abstractly about the life cycle of plants and make these ideas concrete by actually doing. The students are asked to explore the sequence of events from a seed leading up to a plant, and to classify flowing plants and conifers and compare the two. Students will observe for themselves the growth and development of a seedling by watching it grow for a week under controlled conditions and record the changes. They will soak different kinds of seeds to observe the differences as well. They use a fill in the blank activity to break down the life cycle of a plant. They will observe picture diagrams of both flowering and conifer plants and draw conclusions between the two.

Part B.

This chapter could be improved to foster cognitive development effectively by evaluating student’s ability to sort according to characteristics, place in serial order, change abstract thoughts into concrete, and logic and reason in order to complete the task. Each student can get a bag of picture cards that depict the life cycle of flowering and conifer plants mixed together and independently they should be able to separate the two life cycles and place them in order from seed to full grown plant.

Part C.

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development was the theory on which my modification was based. In the concrete operational stage it is important for students of this age group to be able to better understand mental operations and think logically about events. They should be able to sort items according to their characteristics and make connections between these items as well as place objects in serial order.