Academic Writing 1.docx

Assignment 1a: Academic Writing

1.0 Intoduction Every children have different abilities, personality and exposure, hence it leads to a variety and different pattern of their cognitive development. This is relevant to the theory proposed by Bruner (1990) that knowledge and competencies of thinking are situated within the individual and can be studied independently of the situation within which they are used. Based on my observation on two children, I had identified their progress in cognitive development. I shall discuss further about their cognitive development based on the information and data that I had collected about them.

2.0 Child’s Cognitive Development There are two girls that I had choose and observe to analyse their cognitive development. The first girl is Arissa Hussairy Bt. Muhammad Huswardi (Child A). The second girl is Alia Sofea Bt. Azwan (Child B). Both of them are about 7 years old which most likely undergo a transition process between pre – operational stage and concrete operational stage. To test their cognitive development, I had carried out several activities with them and choose Piaget’s conservation experiment as a model for my activities. Piaget used the term conservation to refer to the concept that certain basic properties of an object (e.g., volume, mass, and weight) remain the same even if its physical appearance changes (Ginsburg & Opper, 1988; Piaget, 1952b, 1969, 1970; Piaget & Inhelder, 1974 cited in Cook, 2005). The objective of this activities is to learn about Piaget's theory of conservation and to investigate when children learn about the equality of numbers and mass (Dewey, 2007). Based on the result that I had collected in Table 1, I found that the cognitive development of child A and child B are different. They have different way of seeing things but they also have the same ideas and concept for certain things. For instance, in activity 2 using plasticine, child B tend to have a better concept on quantity (solid) where she claimed that both of the plasticine shapes have the same amount of plasticine. This is called ‘reversibility’ where she understand that object that can be reformed back into original shape has the same amount. Child A suggest that the flat – like shape of plasticine have more material in it than the plasticine which is in ball – like shape. This is called as ‘compensation’ where a property is defined by the logical consequences of combining more than one operation or more than one dimension. This

portrays that their cognitive skills in analyzing the quantity or the volume of an object varies. In concrete operational stage, the children begin to think logically but remain very concrete in their logic. This stage is centered around rules that now govern the child's logic and thinking - rules such as reversibility, identity, and compensation (Piaget, 2001). So this theory explain the understanding of both of the children based on their answers and opinions.

3.0 Conclusion In conclusion, I can see clearly the differences of their cognitive development between child A and child B from the activities that has been carried out. It proves that Piaget’s theories of child development are absolutely relevant where children achieve different things in the four stages; sensorimotor stage, pre – operational stage, concrete operational stage and formal operation stage.

(528 words)

Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3

Activity 4

Activity 5

(Coins)

(Plasticene)

(Pen)

(Biscuit)

(Water)

Test of

Conservation

Conservation

Conservation

Conservation

Conservation

Conversation

of number

of continuous

of length

of volume

of continuous

Child A

Child B

quantity -

quantity -

solids

liquids

Suggest that

Suggest that

Suggest the

Suggest that

Suggest that

both row of

the flat

pen that most

the two part of

the liquid of

coins have the

plasticine has

of the part at

biscuit has

water in slim

same amount

‘more

the left side

‘more biscuit’

and high bottle

of coins.

plasticine in it’

from its

compare to

has ‘more

original place

one part of

amount of

is ‘longer’

biscuit.

water’.

Suggest that

Suggest both

Suggest both

Suggest that

Suggest that

the spread row

ball-like shape

of the pen

the two part of

the liquid of

of coins have

and flat like

have the same

biscuit has

water in slim

‘more coins in

shape has the

length.

‘more biscuit’

and high bottle

it’

same amount

compare to

has ‘more

of plasticine.

one part of

amount of

biscuit.

water’.

Table 1: Data collected from child A and child B