Developmental Characteristics of the Learner
The most important factor in teaching and learning in any setting is the learner. Learners
of any age differ from one another in significant ways: Individuals may learn best through
listening or reading, they may learn more easily alone or within a small group, they may
require heavy visual reinforcement or learn better through verbal explanations, or they
may respond better to a sequential or to a random organization of materials or experiences.
Each learner’s experiences differ from those of class peers in a variety of ways.Children
and young adolescents, however, differ from older learners in certain patterned and
predictable ways as they progress through stages of development. An understanding of
these general developmental characteristics is essential for the elementary and middle
school language teacher.
Piaget and Stages of Cognitive Development
The teaching of children has been profoundly affected by the work of Jean Piaget, who
identified four stages of cognitive and affective development in childhood and adolescence.
The child develops cognitively through active involvement with the environment,
and each new step in development builds on and becomes integrated with previous steps.
Because two of the four shifts in developmental stage normally occur during the elemen
tary school years, it is important for language teachers working with children to keep theThe most important factor in teaching and learning in any setting is the learner. Learners
of any age differ from one another in significant ways: Individuals may learn best through
listening or reading, they may learn more easily alone or within a small group, they may
require heavy visual reinforcement or learn better through verbal explanations, or they
may respond better to a sequential or to a random organization of materials or experiences.
Each learner’s experiences differ from those of class peers in a variety of ways.Children
and young adolescents, however, differ from older learners in certain patterned and
predictable ways as they progress through stages of development. An understanding of
these general developmental characteristics is essential for the elementary and middle
school language teacher.
Piaget and Stages of Cognitive Development
The teaching of children has been profoundly affected by the work of Jean Piaget, who
identified four stages of cognitive and affective development in childhood and adolescence.
The child develops cognitively through active involvement with the environment,
and each new step in development builds on and becomes integrated with previous steps.
Because two of the four shifts in developmental stage normally occur during the elemen
characteristics of each cognitive stage in mind (Piaget, 1963). They are as follows:
1. The stage of sensory-motor intelligence (age 0 to 2 years). During this stage, behavior
is primarily motor. The child does not yet internally represent events and “think” conceptually,
although “cognitive” development is seen as schemata are constructed.
2. The stage of preoperational thought (age 2 to 7 years). This stage is characterized by
the development of language and other forms of representation and rapid conceptual
development.Reasoning during this stage is pre-logical or semi-logical, and children tend
to be very egocentric. Children often focus on a single feature of a situation at a time—for
example, theymay be able to sort by size or by color but not by both characteristics at once.
3. The stage of concrete operations (age 7 to 11 years). During these years, the child
develops the ability to apply logical thought to concrete problems. Hands-on, concrete
experiences help children understand new concepts and ideas.Using language to exchange
information becomes much more important than in earlier stages, as children become
more social and less egocentric.
4. The stage of formal operations (age 11 to 15 years or older). During this stage, the
child’s cognitive structures reach their highest level of development. The child becomes
able to apply logical reasoning to all classes of problems, including abstract problems either
not coming from the child’s direct experience or having no concrete referents.
The thinking skills of most children in elementary school are at the concrete operations
stage, and experience plays a major role in all learning. Piaget points out that children
are not simply miniature adults who have less experience and thus less knowledge to
work with as they approach problems and new situations. They do not think like adults
because their minds are not like adult minds. It is the privilege of the elementary school
teacher to share their world and learn to work within it. Characteristics of children as
learners at different ages and implications for language teaching are described next.
