Knowledge – Types, Developments and My Views

Last week I was training the basics of computers, to a group of children, from different age groups. For most of them, that was the first computer training they ever had. They were so excited to see, touch and operate computers.

They were really paying attention to the educational games available with the computers. They try to interact with the mathematical and logical games at their level best. They asked me help every now and then and made me tied of by asking questions!

They talk each other about the computer, its parts, games and the features of the games.

According to Jean Piaget, one of the most influential developmental theorists of the 20th century, these are the types of knowledge children acquire; Physical, logical-mathematical and social.

Peaget also explains about the cognitive stages that developed in an individual’s life; Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete operational, and Formal operational.
Each of these stages is related to the age of the individual.

According to me, not always the cognitive development follows the stages proposed by Peaget. There are exceptions. The age at which children reached certain stages varied from heredity to heredity, culture to culture, and environment to environment. Reaching to the formal operations was no means assured.

I know children finished their associate degree way ahead. I know children mastering some particular tasks, according to Piaget not supposed to be at their age. Also I met children who do not do reading at a fifth grade level or children who cannot perform basic mathematical calculations.

I have seen India’s old Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. She born and brought up among a group of intellectuals like Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagoor (Nobel Price Winner, Literature). Interaction with them made Indira Gandhi to become one of the great women in the world history at an early age.

We have musicians like Beethoven who shows his skills irrespective of the developmental stages proposed by Peaget.

This may be related to the ability, need or culture around an individual. I think it is more the interaction with the real events, objects and situations, the more children to construct knowledge even at an early age.


Reference: Driscoll, M (2005). Psychology of Learning For Instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.