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About Theorist

Jean Piaget (1896–1980) was a Swiss psychologist who changed the way we think about how children grow and learn.
He is famous for his theory that explains how children’s thinking develops over time.

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About Theorist

What He Studied:�Piaget was interested in how children think and learn. He wanted to understand how children’s thinking changes as they grow up.
His Big Idea:�Piaget believed that children don’t think the same way as adults. They go through different stages of thinking, and each stage is unique.

The Four Stages of Thinking:

Piaget said that children’s thinking develops in four stages:

Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years): Babies learn through their senses and actions.
Preoperational Stage (2-7 years): Children start using words and symbols but still think in a very simple way.
Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years): Children start thinking logically, but only about real things they can see or touch.
Formal Operational Stage (12 years and up): Teens can think about abstract ideas and solve problems in a more complex way.

Piaget’s 4 Stages of Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor Stage (Birth – 2 years)
Babies learn by seeing, touching, and moving things.
Simple Examples:
A baby shakes a toy and hears a sound.
A baby puts everything in their mouth to learn about it.
If you hide a toy under a cloth, a baby will look for it (they know it still exists).
➡️ Key idea: “I learn by doing and sensing.”

Preoperational Stage (2 – 7 years)

Children can talk and pretend, but they don’t think logically yet
A child thinks a tall glass has more juice than a short glass (even if the amount is the same).
A child believes the moon follows them.
A child uses a stick as a sword or a phone while playing.
➡️ Key idea: “I see the world my way.”

Concrete Operational Stage (7 – 11 years)

Children can think logically, but only about real, visible things
A child knows that water stays the same amount even if poured into a different glass.
A child can arrange books from smallest to biggest.
A child understands that 5 + 3 = 8 and 8 − 3 = 5.
➡️ Key idea: “I think logically about real things.”

Formal Operational Stage (12 years and above)

People can think about ideas, possibilities, and the future� A teenager thinks about questions like “What is right and wrong?”
A student solves algebra problems.
A teen plans for the future and thinks about consequences.
➡️ Key idea: “I can think deeply and imagine possibilities.”

Conclusion

Piaget’s theory proposes that children go through four distinct stages Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational