Progression of Knowledge through a Succession of Stages - Essay Example

Does Knowledge Progress Through A Succession Of Stages? Progression of Knowledge through a Succession of Stages Naturally, to be considered knowledgeable, an individual must go through multilateral stages of learning. Knowledge refers to the comprehension or understanding of something. Based on this, it is feasible to state that knowledge progresses through a succession of stages. There are diverse theories that support the assertion that knowledge advancements are evidenced through a progression of stages. A comprehension of these stages is possible through Piaget’s phases of development concept. Development occurs in phases, according to Piaget’s concept. It is discontinuous because it occurs in stages. The theory explains that each child has abilities and capabilities, based on their age group. These stages are dissimilar depending on upbringing. Whether children have certain abilities or not, this can be seen in their level of reasoning as they grow. Knowledge is acquired through experience and through education. The journey to adulthood has different stages, each with its own complexities. Children can be good in some skills, and poor in others. Acquiring knowledge is possible because of the will to assimilate and adapt to the environment. Skills begin to advance all through childhood, and continue for an extensive lifespan (Anton, 2010). One stage is always a prerequisite for another. Studying the cognitive development of children leads to the realization that knowledge progresses through a succession of stages (Mitchell and Ziegler, 2007). These stages are the sensorimotor, preoperational and concrete operational stages in addition to the formal operational stage. All children go through these stages during cognitive development. Passing through the stages ensures that an individual can progress to the next phase of cognitive development (Young, 2011). While going through the stages, children show new intellectual abilities and increased comprehension of the world. It is vital to note that the stages are successive, and they cannot be avoided (Brown, 2008). Successful intellectual development requires an individual to follow a sequence of phases. Initially, there is the sensorimotor phase, which begins after birth and lasts for roughly 2 years. During this stage, an individual uses motor activity. Knowledge has some restrictions in this phase because it depends on physical experiences and interactions. As a result of the limitation of knowledge, the infant cannot predict reactions (Love & Guthrie, 2009). Learning is accomplished experimentally through making mistakes. Then, the preoperational stage follows, which transpires from the 2nd year after procreation to age 7. At this time, the child passably uses language, symbols, fancies, and memory. In this stage, the child can express relationships between the future and past. The child is still limited in terms of a relationship on what triggers the cause. Additionally, intelligence is typically egocentric rather than logical (Silverthorn, 2009). Thirdly, there is the concrete operational phase, which develops from the 7th year to the 11th year. Intellectual development is demonstrated through the logical and systematic manipulation of symbols. The symbols are usually related to concrete objects. During this stage, thinking shifts to concrete references because of increased awareness of external factors and events. Fourthly is the formal operational stage (Simatwa, 2010), which begins from adolescence to maturity. During this stage, individuals use symbols that are related to abstract concepts (Wood, Smith & Grossniklaus, 2011). Adolescents and adults exhibit the ability to think about multiple variables using systematic ways. They can also formulate hypotheses and react on abstract concepts and relationships. Development of knowledge is perceptibly a continuous processes in another theory. This thought opposes Piaget’s theory. Children do not acquire abilities all at once, but they eventually learn how to navigate trials. Children are different and acquire skills at different speeds. This explains the presence of slow and fast learners (Blake and Pope, 2008). Development does not need to depend on experience. If this was the case, it will not be systematic like it is at present. Skills acquired helps children be able to consider other people and distinguish reality from illusions. Developing a sense of belief is continuous and older children tend to stick to what they have believed since they were young and they become more confident about it (Shaffer and Kipp, 2013). Continuous development means there are no stages, and once learning has begun, there are no turning points. While Piaget’s theory affirms that there is a progress in attaining knowledge, there is the opposing view that suggests that knowledge does not progress through a succession of stages. Knowledge is attained through learning (Hinnet). Learning takes place at a specific time at a specific place. This can be said to be the case in schools and institutions where students have to be present for the learning process to take place. The attainment of knowledge of these students occurs through each lecture they attend. If a scholar misses a specific lecture and attends the next, the flow of knowledge and information still transpires. It is thus evident that knowledge does not have to occur through stages and can happen at any time. This is so because, knowledge being the flow of information from a source to a recipient, will take place at any time when both the source and the recipient are present. Knowledge takes place through the whole life of an individual. An individual’s life is characterized by recent manifestations and new spells of information. From childhood, each day is new learning day as one gets to know different things they did not know before (Koohang, Kohun and DeLorenzo, 2013). It is thus evident that knowledge does not progress through a succession of stages, but occurs through the whole life of an individual. When a child is born, it starts learning from its parents and guardians. Progressively, it grows the learning process continues each day until the child joins a learning institution (Genovese, 2003). This continues as teachers transfer knowledge to the child. When the individuals graduate from college and join places of work, learning continues as they have to know the different ways of carrying out their specific jobs (Moon, 2003). The life of an individual is thus a learning process that never stops and knowledge cannot be said to take place in stages. Knowledge is the understanding of facts or someone. The process of understanding takes place at a single setting. An individual has to be present and in the same environment with the person or facts that they are expected to understand. The process of attaining understanding of a person or a fact cannot take place in a succession of stages and only does so in the single setting. The individual has to study the available facts or the person so as to gain an understanding of them. It is evident that knowledge does not take place through a succession of stages, but rather takes place in a single stage. From Piaget’s observation of children, children have the potentials to create ideas. This implied that children did not limit themselves to the knowledge received from their teachers, parents and peers. The observation of these children showed that children have the ability to construct their own ideas and knowledge (Jardine, 2010). Knowledge progresses through a succession of stages because it is constructed after people are edified (Piaget, 2009). Learning occurs through the creation of artifacts and products. The progression of knowledge through stages is possible when the artifacts are meaningful and relevant. References Adler-Tapia, R. (2012). Child psychotherapy: integrating developmental theory into clinical practice. New York, Springer Pub. Co. Blake, B. and Pope, T. (2008). Developmental Psychology: Incorporating Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s Theories in Classrooms. Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives in Education, Vol. 1, No. 1 (May 2008) 59 – 67. Brown, C. (2008). Developmental Psychology: A Course Companion. London: Sage. Capello, R., & Nijkamp, P. (2009). Handbook of Regional Growth and Development Theories. Cheltenham, UK, Edward Elgar Genovese, J. (2003). Piaget, Pedagogy, and Evolutionary Psychology. Evolutionary Psychology, 1: 127-137. Hinnet, K. (n.d.). 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Development and causality: Neo-Piagetian perspectives. New York: Springer. Read More