CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR S.C. TEACHER CADET COURSE | EXPERIENCING EDUCATION, TENTH EDITION
Cognitive Development -- Background Information
Theme I: Experiencing Learning
Unit 3: Growth and Development
*Mandatory lesson
Objective: Students will be able to identify cognitive developmental characteristics and
stages.
Essential Question: In what ways do Piaget’s findings aid teaching and instruction?
Activities:
Option 1:
1. Assign each group of 3 or 4 students a type of development- physical, cognitive, moral,
psychosocial, or language. That group will teach the important information regarding this
development after researching the topic. Students can use some of the suggested
activities listed below in option 3 or come up with their own lesson.
Option 2:
1. Introduce the different teaching methodologies as you present each of the different
developmental theories. For example, use a lecture to teach physical development, use
cooperative learning to teach cognitive development, use technology to teach moral
development, etc.
Option 3:
1. As a hook for this lesson, role-play the following situations that portray the various levels
of cognitive development. Assign students different roles and responses in the following
scenarios:
Scenario 1: Pour one cup of water into a tall, thin clear glass container. Pour another cup of
water into a short, wide clear glass container. Ask one person the question,
“Do the containers have the same amount of water, or does one have more
water than the other one?” He/she will respond, “The tall container has more
water than the short container.” Ask the other person the same question, and
he/she will respond, “The containers have the same amount of water.”
Scenario 2: Ask one person the question, “How would your life be different without a thumb?”
He/she responds, “But I do have a thumb.” Ask the other person the same
question, and he/she will respond, “I would have to learn how to grasp utensils
such as pens, scissors, and forks differently. I would have to adapt my use
of the keyboard because I would not have a thumb to hit the space bar. I might
experience some difficulties when catching a ball. I’d probably feel
self-conscious about not having a thumb.”
Scenario 3: Hold a stuffed animal up in front of someone who will look at it, reach for the
animal, and try to put it in his mouth. Then remove the stuffed animal from
sight; the person will not look for it. Then hold a stuffed animal up in front of
another person who will reach for the animal and grasp it. Then the instructor
will remove it from sight and that person will say, “Where did you put the bear
(or whatever kind of stuffed animal is held up)? Is it behind your back? It wants
me to hold it.”
Scenario 4: Hold up pictures of an elephant and a donkey (illustrations provided with this
lesson). Ask one person, “What do you see?” He/she responds, “An elephant
and a donkey.” The instructor asks, “Could these animals represent something
else?” The person responds, “They’re just two pictures of an elephant and a
PAGE I – 3 -7