Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages of mental development. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children acquire knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of intelligence.

 

Piaget's stages are:

• Sensorimotor stage: birth to 2 years
• Preoperational stage: ages 2 to 7
• Concrete operational stage: ages 7 to 11
• Formal operational stage: ages 12 and up

 

Piaget believed that children take an active role in the learning process, acting much like scientists as they perform experiments, make observations, and learn about the world. As children interact with the world around them, they continually add new knowledge, build upon existing knowledge, and adapt previously held ideas to accommodate new information.

 

The curriculum at Ray Lodge Primary has been developed to take into consideration Piaget's stages so that pupils develop the following cognitive skills:

 

 Evaluating

 

 Analysing

 

 Applying

 

Creative Thinking

 

 Problem Solving

 

 Making Connections

 

Processing

 

 Reasoning

 

Critical Thinking