Cognitive Development of the High School learners

“ADOLESCENCE”

According to PiagetThe adolescent years are remarkable because

youth move beyond the limitations of concrete mental operations and develop the ability to think in a more abstract manner.

Piaget used the term "formal operations" to describe this new ability.

Formal Operational stage

Piaget formulated this theory which demonstrates how the cognitive capacity of the adolescent allows him/her to go beyond the sensible and concrete to dwell on what is abstract.

Formal operations refer to the ability to perform mental operations with abstract, intangible concepts such as "justice" or "poverty" and to be able to estimate or describe the effect of these intangible concepts.

Formal operational thinking consists in :

A. Proportional thinking- making assertions outside visual evidence and stating what may be possible in things not seen by the eyes.

B. Relativistic thinking- subjectively making an opinion on facts involving one’s own bias, prejudice of facts– which may be either right or wrong.

Formal operational thinking consists in :

• C. real versus possible- examining a situations and exploring the possible in terms of situations or solutions.

• Logic:Piaget believed that deductive logic

becomes important during the formal operational stage. Deductive logic requires the ability to use a general principle to determine a specific outcome. This type of thinking involves hypothetical situations and is often required in science and mathematics.

Characteristics of the Formal Operational Stage:

• Abstract Thought:While children tend to think very

concretely and specifically in earlier stages, the ability to think about abstract concepts emerges during the formal operational stage. Instead of relying solely on previous experiences, children begin to consider possible outcomes and consequences of actions. This type of thinking is important in long-term planning.

• Problem-Solving:In earlier stages, children used trial-and-

error to solve problems. During the formal operational stage, the ability to systematically solve a problem in a logical and methodical way emerges. Children at the formal operational stage of cognitive development are often able to quickly plan an organized approach to solving a problem.

Cognitive development of adolescent boys and girls

• Adolescent girls tend to feel more confident about their reading and social skills than boys.

• adolescent boys tend to feel more confident about their athletic and math skills (Eccles, Barber, Jozefowicz et al., 1999)

Ways that adults can helpadolescents to make better decisions

• to help them expand their range of options so they can consider multiple choices ( Fischoff et al., 1999)

• To help adolescents to carefully weigh their options and consider consequences

• Adults can help adolescents to understand how emotions—both positive and negative—can affect their thinking and behavior.

Moral Development

• refers to the development of a sense of values and ethical behavior.

• Adults can help facilitate moral development in adolescents by modeling altruistic and caring behavior toward others and by helping youth take the perspective of others in conversations.

Moral Development

• Volunteering in the community is an important positive avenue for youth that can help promote their moral development.

Thank you

“Adolescence is that time when I think it can

be…..”- Anonymous