Concrete Operational Stage
- Ages 7 to 11
- Experts believe that children attain this stage when they gain the ability to conserve
- Conservation: Ability to know that even when objects changes shape, size, or any appearance quality, the object remains the same.
- Children are able to have the ability to organize and reverse their thought process.
- Reversibility: Children are able to organize and reverse their thought process.
- During this stage children are still limited to pondering objects, events, or situations that are real or based on experiences.
- Children are also able to mentally represent objects or events.
- Children are capable of seriation: the ability to arrange a set by specific characteristics, such as height, weight, or age.
- During this stage Piaget stressed that learning can be initiated by actions (cognitive and motor development)
How does this relate to physical education?
As Physical Education teachers this is the stage our youngest children should be at when they start formal education. Understanding how children learn and develop in the Concrete Operational stage is key to developing an effective PE program that will give them the base they'll need to move onto the next stage in motor development.
As Physical Education teachers this is the stage our youngest children should be at when they start formal education. Understanding how children learn and develop in the Concrete Operational stage is key to developing an effective PE program that will give them the base they'll need to move onto the next stage in motor development.