Journal Entry 1 EDAT 6115

Description
This reading this week in EDAT 6115 was based on a child’s cognitive, language, and literacy development. This chapter covered the point of view from Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner. Teachers have to pay close attention to these stages in their classroom to make sure that their classwork is developmentally appropriate.

Analysis
Teachers should know what developmental stage their students are in so that they create lessons that are appropriate for their level, and will further their development (Slavin, 2012, pg. 46). In this document I will give an example of the difference between teaching a science experiment to a second-grade student, and an eighth-grade student. Children at this age are at different developmental stages, therefore must be taught differently (Slavin, 2012, pg. 32.) Second-grade students are approximately at the age of seven. This means that they are transitioning from the preoperational stage to the concrete operational stage. Piaget states that in the preoperational stage children develop the ability to correlate symbols with things in the outside world (Slavin, 2012, pg. 32). A child’s literacy skills are developing quickly during this time, but they have not reached the stage of reversal yet (Slavin, 2012, pg. 33). Once students enter the concrete operational stage, they begin to think more logically. Piaget describes that once children begin to think more logically, the concept of reversibility develops within their skills. Children are also beginning to realize that people see the world differently and are able to see more than one point of view (Slavin, 2012, pg. 33).
When a teacher knows all of this information, he/she can create an appropriate science experiment for his/her students. For example, once the students have entered the concrete operational stage, they would be able to do an experiment based on the volume of water. In my classroom, I would have the students measure out one cup of water and this would be their control. Each group would have a bowl and a beaker. The first step would be to pour it into the bowl and guess if the volume changed, then repeat that step for the beaker. Now that the students have the ability for reversal, they should infer that the volume is the same, just dispersed differently. However, this is not how eighth-graders have to learn this experiment because they have advanced further in cognitive development.
            Eighth-grade students are approximately 14 years old. When students are at this age, they are considered to be in the Formal operational stage of cognitive development (Slavin, 2012, pg. 32). Piaget states that in this stage, a child’s cognitive development begins to resemble that of an adult. A student in the Formal operational stage is able to think abstractly about future outcomes (Slavin, 2012, pg. 35). For example, Slavin states that Inhelder and Piaget did an experiment based on the pendulum and what makes the string swing faster or slower. They stated that a 15-year old that did this experiment would be able to conclude that it is the string length that determines the speed of the pendulum, and not the weight of the ball. A 10-year-old student would not be able to think abstractly enough to come to this conclusion.

Reflection
The reading for this week has opened my eyes on how to better teach my students in an Elementary Music setting. As a Music Education major, I did not receive an “Educational Psychology” class to prepare me for the different developmental stages of my students. Therefore, going into my career I was forced to fly by my own knowledge, and those of my superiors. I have already learned a great deal about how students develop cognitively, and how that impacts their learning in the classroom. I will be able to adjust my lessons to fit the developmental stages of my students much better in the coming years. This class has (and will) have a great impact on my teaching, because I am learning about how and when a child develops what skills.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

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