Title: Describe the stages of cognitive development.
Course: Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow I (19151-I) > Section: Building a Foundation for Teaching

Description should include the following stages as identified by Jean Piaget, with associated characteristics:

- Sensorimotor—begins at birth
- Preoperational—emerges around age 2
- Concrete operational—emerges around age 7
- Formal operational—emerges around age 11

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- How does Piaget’s theory redefine teaching and learning?
- What are the teaching implications of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development?

Communication

- What is the process of taking in new information and adding it to what the child already knows?
- How can you communicate with individuals in each stage of the life cycle?

Leadership

- What are the implications if learners do not achieve cognitive developmental milestones as identified in teaching and learning outcomes?
- How do games promote cognitive development?

Management

- What is the teacher’s role in promoting cognitive development?
- What criteria can be used to assess each stage of cognitive development?