Cognitive Development (Ch. 3) Analysis Questions:

1.From the perspective of Piaget's theory, in which stage of cognitive development is Laura? Justify your response.

A)At this moment, I’m putting Laura in the Preoperational Stage. My only hesitation is that Laura is 14 years old and this stage is usually for 2-7 year olds. Laura is unable to understand what her teacher is telling her about her argument of banning gasoline. She is showing signs of Egocentrism. This is defined as the inability to consider the world from a perspective other than their own. I would really like to say, “Laura is putting on a show and wanting to be right.” But the end of the story clued me in that she was serious and really couldn’t see the perspective of her teacher. She states, “Mr. Marculescu can be so unreasonable!” Overall, I would say Laura is in the Preoperational Stage transferring into Concrete Operational. I have decided this because she has attempted to solve a concrete problem.

2.How is Laura's reasoning affected by her knowledge base--that is, by what she does and doesn't know about pollution? Use terminology from Ch. 3 in your response.

A)Laura’s knowledge base has a lot to do with her situation. First, she does have a schema which are building blocks of learning. (Mental networks of organized information) What is her schema? She is familiar that pollution can be caused by gasoline. This is familiar to her. I also feel Laura is affected by what she does not know or the schemas she is not familiar with. I feel that Laura is going through disequilibrium. This is defined as the state of the cognitive conflict that arises when one’s thinking is not consistent or when our current schemas are not confirmed by our experiences with the world. Laura must not be familiar with the information that the teacher is trying to get her to see and learn about. It could be because of her world experiences. Maybe she has grown up in a world with a mom that only puts emphasis on the way she looks and has never learned anything about the needs of life. I’m not sure. But in that moment her old schema did not match the schema that the teacher is talking about.

3.By posing a series of questions, Mr. Marculescu continually challenges Laura to reconsider her thinking about the pollution problem. What are potential benefits of this strategy? Use terminology from Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories in your response

A)The first benefit is that Mr. Marculescu is taking advantage of his students natural tendency to resolve disequilibrium. In the book it states, “Find ways to promote cognitive conflict to help children learn in meaningful ways.” The teacher has created a cognitive conflict for Laura by asking her so many questions. Also, according to the definition of Zone of Proximal Development Mr. Marculescu’s questions can be seen as a benefit. Students need to be guided through their Zone of Proximal Development. Laura needs help by her teacher to understand solutions to pollution that are reasonable. Which brings makes me think of the word Scaffolding. This is defined as the instructional method in which support is given to students early on in the learning process, as they navigate their Zone of Proximal Development. Laura really needs her scaffold Mr. Marculescu to “navigate her ZPD.” Overall, Laura benefits to think in a different way by her teacher posing a series of questions.


4.How does this scenario represent Piaget's and Vygotsky's conceptions of play?

A. First, I feel like the Laura was put in a scenario that used pretend play. Mr. Marculescu says, “Come on up here and stand behind the podium on the right. I'll take the podium on the left." The activity literally uses real life props such as the podium. The podium represents a real life debating floor. Though it is a practice scenario if feels and appears to be real. In the book it says, “Pretend play is a mechanism that fosters cognitive development.” After my research and thought I feel that this scenario fostered Laura with cognitive development. My next idea is that this scenario is a social interaction (of play) for Laura that will influence her schema's and thinking processes.