Knowledge and Development: Volume 2 Piaget and Education

307 Pages·1978·6.39 MB·English

by  Jeanette McCarthy Gallagher (auth.)

KNOWLEDGE AND
DEVELOPMENT
Volume 2
Piaget and Education
KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPMENT
Volume 1 Advances in Research and Theory
Edited by Willis F. Overton and Jeanette McCarthy Gallagher
Volume 2 Piaget and Education
Edited by Jeanette McCarthy Gallagher and J. A. Easley, Jf.
A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring
delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon
actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher.
KNOWLEDGE AND
DEVELOPMENT
Volume 2
Piaget and Education
Edited by
Jeanette McCarthy Gallagher
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and
J. A. Easley, J
f.
University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
PLENUM PRESS • NEW YORK AND LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
Knowledge and development.
Includes bibliographies and index.
CONTENTS: v. 1. Advances in research and theory. - v. 2. Piaget and education.
Vol. 2. edited by J. M. Gallagher and J. A. Easley, JI.
1. Cognition92. Cognition in children. 3. Developmental psychology. 4. Piaget,
Jean, 1896- 5. Education - Philosophy. I. Overton, Willis F. II. Gallagher,
Jeanette McCarthy. III. Easley, J. A. [DNLM: 1. Cognition. 2. Child development.
WSI05 K73]
BF 311.K6385 153.4 76-26163
ISBN-l3: 978-1-4684-3404-0 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-3402-6
DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4684-3402-6
© 1978 Plenum Press, New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition 1978
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
Contributors
Paul Ammon, School of Education, University of California, Berkeley, Cali
fornia
Rheta DeVries, College of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle,
Chicago, Illinois; University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
J. A. Easley, Jr., Committee on Culture and Cognition, University of Illinois,
Urbana, Illinois
Jeanette McCarthy Gallagher, Department of General Educational Psychol
ogy, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Doba Goodman, Department of Psychology, York University, Downsview,
Ontario, Canada
Thomas Lickona, Department of Education, State University of New York,
Cortland, New York
Kenneth Lovell, School of Education, University of Leeds, Leeds, England
Frank B. Murray, Department of Educational Foundations, University of
Delaware, Newark, Delaware
Juan Pascual-Leone, Department of Psychology, York University, Downs
view, Ontario, Canada
D. Kim Reid, Department of Educational Psychology, New York University,
New York, New York
Michael Shayer, Chelsea College, University of London, London, England
Irene Subelman, School of Education, University of California, Berkeley,
California
v
Acknowledgments
This second volume in the series devoted to issues concerning the devel
opment of knowledge represents efforts to link Piagetian theory to
various curriculum areas.
A unique feature of the volume is the attempt by several of the
authors to relate Piaget's new model of equilibration to various aspects
of education.
The planning and execution by the editors of such a volume are
significantly tied to the cooperation of many individuals. In the early
stages, discussions with Constance Kamii, Hans Furth, Marianne Denis
Prinzhorn, and Barbel Inhelder were most enlightening. Reviewers of
first drafts included Richard lano and Richard Mansfield, both of Temple
University. Joseph Glick and Gilbert Voyat, members of the Publication
Committee of the Jean Piaget Society, were a source of continuing
support and encouragement. Toni D'Onofrio compiled the index.
Our students at Temple University and at the University of Illinois
provided valuable insights on applications of Piagetian theory. More
over, we appreciated the many scholarly exchanges with the other
authors of chapters in this volume. Finally, the efficient editors at
Plenum Press made the entire production phase an enjoyable experience.
JEANETIE MCCARTHY GALLAGHER
J. A. EASLEY, JR.
vii
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Irving E. Sigel
Chapter 1
Reflexive Abstraction and Education: The Meaning of Activity
in Piaget's Theory
Jeanette McCarthy Gallagher
1. The Meaning of Activity in Piaget's Cognitive Theory: An
Introduction ........................................... 1
2. Concept of Phenocopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. The Mechanism of Reflexive Abstraction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.1. Basic Definitions ................................... 7
3.2. Relationship to Phenocopy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.3. Experimental Evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.3.1. The Study of Correlates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.3.2. The Study of Intersections .................... 12
3.4. Theoretical Considerations and General Educational
Implications ....................................... 14
4. Reflexive Abstraction and Contradiction .................. 16
4.1. Basic Notions of Contradiction ...................... 16
4.2. The Meaning of Activity and Anticipation . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5. Conclusions and Future Directions in Applying Piagetian
Theory to Education .................................. . . 18
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
ix
x Contents
Chapter 2
Moral Development and Moral Education: Piaget, Kohlberg,
and Beyond
Thomas Lickona
1. The Case for Moral Education in the Schools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2. Piaget's Theory of Moral Development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3. Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.1. Kohlberg and Piaget: How They Compare . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.2. Research on Kohlberg's Theory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4. Developmental Moral Education: Putting Piaget and
Kohlberg into the Classroom ............................ 36
4.1. Goals and Means of Developmental Moral Education. . 36
4.2. Applications of Kohlberg with Adolescents ........... 38
4.3. Developmental Moral Education with Elementary
School Children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4.4. Fostering Moral Development in Early Childhood . . . . . 53
5. Conclusion: Critique and New Directions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
5.1. Summing Up ...................................... 62
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 67
Chapter 3
Early Education and Piagetian Theory: Applications Versus
Implications
Rheta DeVries
1. Applications of Isolated Parts of Piaget's Work. . . . . . . . . . . . 76
1.1. Stages............................................. 76
1.2. Tasks............................................. 77
1.3. Areas of Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
1.4. Action ............................................ 79
1.5. Specific Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
2. Implications of Piaget's Constructivism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.1. Types of Experience, Action, and Knowledge. . . . . . . . . 83
2.2. Interest, Autonomy, and the Role of Peer Interaction. . 86
3. Conclusion............................................. 89
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Contents xi
Chapter 4
The Impact of the Work of Piaget on Science Curriculum
Development
Kenneth Lovell and Michael Shayer
1. Introduction ........................................... 93
2. Some Basic Points in Piagetian Developmental Theory ..... 94
3. The Early Years ........................................ 95
4. Concrete Operational Thought and Understanding Science. 95
5. The Move to Formal Operational Thought.... . .. . . . . . . . . . 98
6. Formal Operational Thought and Understanding Science. . . 100
7. An Analysis of Some Scientific Concepts ................. 102
8. Some Difficulties with Piaget's Theory with Respect to
Science Curricula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
9. The Problem of the Existing Secondary Science Tradition. . . 110
10. Curricula Which Have Used Piagetian Principles .......... 120
10.1. Science 5-13 . . ... . . . ... . . .... . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
10.2. Australian Science Education Project (ASEP) . . . . . . . . . 125
10.3. Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) . . . . . . 127
11. Possible Uses of Piaget's Work Suggested by the 197411975
CSMS Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
12. Curricula for the 80th to 20th Percentile of Population ..... 134
13. Life Style and Formal Operational Thought. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Chapter 5
Four Decades of Conservation Research: What Do They Mean
for Mathematics Education?
J. A. Easley, Jr.
1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
1.1. Two Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
1.2. Genetic Epistemology of Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
1.3. Epistemological Issues in Mathematics Education. . . . . . 143
1.4. A Logical Empiricist's View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
1.5. Dynamic Structuralism in Piaget's Genetic Epistemology 147
1.6. Other Empiricist Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
2. The Logistics of Genetic Epistemology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
2.1. The First Conceptualization ......................... 151
xii Contents
2.2. Mental Imagery and Mental Operations .............. 154
2.3. Category Theory and Genetic Epistemology .......... 155
3. Piaget's Overall Strategy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
4. Toward a New Theory of Conservation. .. ... .. . .. .. . .. . .. 158
4.1. Geneva and the Nonconserver ...................... 158
4.2. The "Operational Envelope" ........................ 161
4.3. Discrete and Continuous Quantities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
5. Mathematics Education and Conservation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
6. Two New Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Chapter 6
Two Models of Human Behavior and Reading Instruction
Frank B. Murray
1. Introduction to the Two Models ......................... 177
2. The Constructivist Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
3. Implications of Piaget's Theory for Reading Instruction. . . . . 181
4. On The Pedagogical Similarity of the Operant and Cognitive
Models................................................ 190
5. General Piagetian Educational Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . 194
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Chapter 7
Genevan Theory and the Education of Exceptional Children
D. Kim Reid
1. Introduction 199
2. Individual Differences .................................. . 200
3. Predominant Orientations .............................. . 204
3.1. Perception ........................................ . 204
3.2. Learning ......................................... . 206
3.3. Memory and Language ............................ . 208
4. Research on Exceptionalities from a Genevan Perspective .. 209
4.1. Clarification of Performance Characteristics .......... . 209
4.1.1. Mental Retardation .......................... . 210
4.1.2. Emotional Disturbance ....................... . 212
4.1.3. Learning Disabilities ......................... . 213
4.1.4. Cerebral Palsy .............................. . 214
4.1.5. Deafness ................................... . 214
4.1.6. Blindness ................................... . 215