BTE 2601

ASSIGNMENT 2
SEMESTER 1

STUDENT NUMBER:
18192173

UNIQUE NUMBER:
706427

SUNé STEWART

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Contents

DECLARATION REGARDING PLAGIARISM ............................................ 3

QUESTION 1 .................................................................................................... 5
QUESTION 2 .................................................................................................... 9

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DECLARATION REGARDING PLAGIARISM

STUDENT DECLARATION FORM DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM

AND INSTRUCTIONAL STUDIES COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

The Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies places

specific emphasis on integrity and ethical behaviour with regard to
the preparation of all written work submitted for academic
assessment.

Although your lecturers can provide you with information about

reference techniques and guidelines to avoid plagiarism, you also
have a responsibility to fulfil in this regard. Should you at any time
feel unsure about the requirements, you must consult your
lecturers before you submit any assignment.

You are guilty of plagiarism when you extract information from a

book, article, web page or the work of a fellow student without
acknowledging the source and submitting it as your own work. In
truth, you are stealing someone else’s property. You may not use
another student’s work. You may not allow anyone to copy or use
your work with the intention to submit it as their own.

Students who are guilty of plagiarism will forfeit all credit for the
work concerned. Plagiarism is a serious violation of the
University’s regulations and may lead to expulsion.

The under-mentioned declaration must accompany written

assignments. Your assignment will be cancelled and returned
unmarked if you do not include a fully completed and signed
declaration form.

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I (full names): Suné Stewart

Student number: 18192173

Module: BTE2601 Declare that…

1. I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the

University’s policy in this regard.

2. I declare that this assignment is my own, original work. Where I

used someone else’s work, whether a printed source, the internet
or any other source, I have given proper acknowledgement and
included a complete reference list.

3. I did not use another current or previous student’s work,

submitting it as my own.

4. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with
the intention of submitting it as their own work.

Signature:

Date: 20/06/2023

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QUESTION 1

1.1. Discuss Jean Piaget’s theory and stages of cognitive

development in detail.

1. Sensorimotor intelligence.

This stage takes place during a child’s first two years of his life. The child will then
discover the difference between themselves and the environment around them. They
will use their senses to learn things about themselves and the environment around
them.

2. Preoperational thinking.

This stage takes place during a child’s life, from two years to seven years. During
this stage the child will develop abstract mental processes and they build on object
performance. They can now think about things in the past, not only in the physical
world.

3. Concrete operational thinking.

In this stage people will be able to do logical operations. Conservation, classification

and reversibility is all part of the operations.

4. Formal operational thinking.

In this stage people is able to formulate hypotheses and test them to get an answer
or solution to a problem. People will also be able to think abstractly and understand
the form or the structure of mathematical problems.

The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development postulates

that children's intelligence evolves as they mature. Children must create or establish
a mental picture of their world in order for cognitive growth to occur.

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world outside. In the discipline of developmental psychology, his work is recognized
as fundamental. During his time at the Binet Institute in the 1920s, Piaget's primary
duty was to translate the questions from IQ tests into other languages. When
youngsters were asked questions that required logical thought, he became curious
as to why they responded incorrectly.

The theory of cognitive development by Piaget provides a thorough explanation of

the origins and growth of human intelligence. The developmental psychologist from
Switzerland, Jean Piaget (1896–1980), is credited with creating it. The theory
addresses the nature of knowledge as well as how people acquire, create, and use it
across time. Developmental stage theory is how most people refer to Piaget's theory.

Piaget was "intrigued by the fact that children of different ages made different kinds
of mistakes while solving problems" in 1919, when he was working at the Alfred
Binet Laboratory School in Paris. The basis for his hypothesis of cognitive
development was his involvement with and observations made at the Alfred Binet
Laboratory.

Depending on their "quality rather than quantity" of intelligence, he thought, children

of different ages committed different kinds of blunders. Sensorimotor stage, pre-
operational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage are the
four stages that Piaget suggested to characterize the developmental process of
children. A certain age range is described by each stage. He explained how
children's cognitive skills develop at each stage.

For instance, he thought that kids perceive the world through doing, putting things
into words, reasoning, and thinking logically.

According to Piaget, biological maturation and environmental experience led to a

gradual rearrangement of the mind's workings. He had the opinion that young
children form an understanding of the world around them, experience gaps between
what they already know and what they learn from their surroundings, and then
modify their views as a result.

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Piaget also asserted that cognitive growth is at the core of the human organism and
that language is dependent on the knowledge and understanding gained through
cognitive development. The focus was mostly on Piaget's early work.

Application of Piaget's ideas can be seen in "open education" and child-centred

classrooms.

Despite its enormous popularity, Piaget's theory has numerous drawbacks that he
was aware of, such as the fact that it favours abrupt stages over continuous growth
(horizontal and vertical decalage).

(20)

1.2. Construct your own teaching philosophy.

A teaching philosophy statement uses examples from your classroom to

demonstrate how well you have taught by outlining your values, objectives, and
beliefs in relation to both teaching and learning.

1. Believes.

• I will be prepared for my students. I will prepare my lessons and prepared for
class.
• I will set clear and fair expectations for my students. They will know from day
one, what I expect from their school work as well as their behaviour in the
classroom.
• I will have a positive attitude towards my students and my work.
• I will be patient with the students and how long they take to fully understand
the work we do.
• I will assess them and how much they know and understand regularly. I will
regularly give feedback and help them if they still don’t understand.
• I will adjust my teaching ways to fit the material and the student’s needs.

2. Values.

• I will have dignity.

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 • I will have truthfulness.
• I will have responsibility.
• I will have fairness.

3. Goals.

• I will enhance quality learning by improving student’s well-being and

maintaining it.
• I will work to benefit the whole community.
• I will nurture creative thinking and develop their skills.
• I will involve parents in their children’s educations.
• I will assist the school and the educational institution to achieve their goals.

(10)

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QUESTION 2

2.1. Discuss the benefits of applying a caring pedagogy.

1. Positive Relationships.

It emphasises building positive relationships between students and teachers.

Students are more motivated to work and to learn when their teacher values them
and respects their students.

2. Emotional Well-being.

Students will have a positive self-esteem when their teachers support them
emotionally. They will have lower levels of stress and they will have higher levels of
well-being.

3. Academic Achievement.

Students will feel more confident in their learning abilities when their teacher makes
them feel comfortable. They will achieve more academically when they are in a
caring environment, because they will be more engaged in active learning and they
will want to take risks.

4. Social Skills.

It will help students to develop skills like: communication, empathy and conflict
resolution, which is very important social skills. These skills will help different areas
in their lives and it will help them to build many positive relationships.

5. Stronger Connections.

It will help to build a good sense of community in the class environment. This will
help to increase stronger connections between students and they will want to work

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together more often. It will create a more supportive classroom and environment for
learning and academic achievement.

(10)

2.2. Analyse five (5) intelligences suggested by Howard Gardner.

1. Verbal-linguistic intelligence.

This intelligence gives people the capability to learn new languages and understand
them. It helps people to use the language to achieve their goals. It helps them to
analyse facts and prepare speeches to do in front of people.

2. Logical-mathematical intelligence.

This intelligence gives people the capability to analyse problems and to solve them,
like using a mathematical concept to solve real life problems.

3. Spatial-visual intelligence.

People will be able to use visual aids to get a solution to a problem. This will be
when someone uses a photo app to design a logo or something visual for a client.

4. Bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence.

This intelligence gives people the capability to use their entire body and movement
to address a challenge, skilfully. People would use their entire body to do CPR on a
person or mannequin.

5. Musical intelligence.

This intelligence gives people the capability to analyse and produce rhythm and
sound, as well as pitch. This will happen when people produce and edit a podcast
episode or write a song.

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 (10)

TOTAL: (50)

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