How Swiss biologist Jean Piaget revolutionized our understanding of child development

Jean Piaget's ideas about child development continue to influence pedagogical practices around the world. His pioneering work revolutionized our understanding of how children learn and think.

Born on August 9, 1896, in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Jean Piaget exhibited an early interest in the natural world. At the age of 11, he published his first scientific article about an albino sparrow he had observed in a nearby park, reflecting his early aptitude for detailed observation. In his adolescence, he continued publishing works about mollusks, contributing to his later academic achievements. By the age of 21, Piaget had earned a doctorate in Natural Sciences.

As Piaget delved deeper into biology, he became interested in broader questions about knowledge and the human mind. This interest led him to shift his career focus toward psychology and epistemology, disciplines in which he would become one of the most influential figures. In Paris, he worked with Théodore Simon, a collaborator of Alfred Binet, the creator of intelligence tests.

During this time, Piaget made an important discovery: the incorrect answers of children on intelligence tests were more revealing than the correct ones. From these errors, he began to formulate the idea that children do not think like adults but go through a series of qualitatively distinct stages throughout their development. He believed that a child is not simply a miniature adult; a child thinks in a completely different way.

This conviction led Piaget to develop his influential theory of cognitive development. He proposed that children pass through four main stages: the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage.

The first stage, the sensorimotor stage (0-2 years), is where children experience the world primarily through their senses and physical actions. In this stage, children develop object permanence, the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not seen.

The second stage, the preoperational stage (2-7 years), is when children begin to use language and symbols, but their thinking remains egocentric. An example illustrating egocentrism in this stage is when Piaget observed his young daughter talking on the phone and assuming her interlocutor could see everything she saw. This shows that children in the preoperational stage do not fully understand how the perspective of others works.

The third stage, the concrete operational stage (7-11 years), is where children begin to think logically about concrete situations. Piaget conducted a well-known experiment where children had to evaluate if the amount of liquid in containers of different shapes was the same. He discovered that in this stage, children understand that even if the shape of the container changes, the amount of liquid can be the same.

The fourth stage, the formal operational stage (12 years and older), is where adolescents develop the ability to think abstractly and logically. This ability is fundamental for scientific and mathematical reasoning.

Piaget's focus on experimentation and detailed observation allowed him to see how children actively construct their knowledge through interaction with the world around them. He believed that knowledge is not simply a passive accumulation of facts but the result of the constant interaction between the child and their environment. The construction of knowledge occurs through two key processes: assimilation, through which the child incorporates new information into their existing schemas, and accommodation, which allows the child to adjust these schemas to adapt to new experiences.

One of Piaget's major innovations was his use of the clinical method, which involves observing and questioning children openly, without imposing answers or guidance. This approach allowed him to discover how children actively construct their knowledge through interaction with the world.

Piaget believed that educators have an essential role as guides who help children construct their own knowledge. He advocated that teaching should focus on providing rich and varied experiences that allow students to explore and discover for themselves. In other words, learning should be an active process that fosters creativity and critical thinking, rather than memorization of facts.

He summarized his view by stating, "Everything that is taught to a child prevents him from inventing or discovering it," according to the BBC. He believed that the main objective of education is to form individuals who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what previous generations have done.

Although some parts of Piaget's theory have been revised with advances in neuroscience and modern psychology, his legacy remains relevant. His ideas about child development and the importance of adapting teaching to the cognitive needs of children continue to influence educational practices worldwide. Each stage of cognitive development is a step in the construction of deeper and more complex knowledge, a process that defines who we are and how we understand the world around us.

Piaget demonstrated that, just like in the case of the mollusks he studied in his early biological observations, the intellectual development of children is an organic and progressive process. His work had a profound impact on pedagogy, suggesting that learning is not linear or homogeneous for all children but must be adapted to each child's stages of cognitive development.

Today, educators around the world continue to apply Piaget's insights to create learning environments that encourage exploration, discovery, and the development of critical thinking skills. His conviction that children think differently from adults has reshaped our approach to education and remains a cornerstone of educational theory.

Sources: El Observador, BBC, Folha de S.Paulo, El Deber, La Nacion, El Nacional