Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/42

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Piaget Theory Jean Piaget was a biologist who drifted into the psychology of learning and worked for 40 years to develop a cognitive theory that is now widely accepted. This theory has great relevance to India's problems. This, in brief, is the theory. A child is born with the human biochemistry and a few instincts - among them the ability to grasp with the thumb and fingers and to suck. With this inherited nervous system and brain as the "hardware" the new born child interacts with the environment and gradually builds up a picture of the “reality” outside, by creating a mental structure in its own brain. It continues to learn through this interaction with its environment and builds up a "model", by a process of assimilation and accommodation. It continues this learning process throughout its life and uses this model to anticipate the results of its actions in the real world. This natural process of learning is analogous to, and is perhaps, the origin of the scientific approach consisting of observation, recording and study, making a hypothesis and verification by further experiments/observation. It is worth noting that, this natural method of learning is never completely lost or given up. Everyone continues to learn by this method throughout life, experiencing the pleasure of learning as well as the keenness and satisfaction of finding a use for it. The human child or the adult, however, may not use this method in its formal and conscious learning stage. This is where our problem starts. This process of learning cannot be expedited by receiving information from others. Where the prerequisite structures or concepts are not formed, we cannot teach anything based on these concepts. Thus for example, a child of 3-4 years who does not have the concept that a volume of a liquid remains constant, even as we pour it from one vessel to another, Rural Development Through Education System 37