Piaget's theory of cognitive development helps us understand how teens think and learn. He described the last stage of his model as the formal operational stage, which usually starts around age 12.
In this stage, teenagers learn to think in more complicated ways. They can think about ideas that aren't just about the here and now. For example, while younger kids might find it hard to understand what justice means, teens can talk about fairness in society and think about it in different ways.
One important skill they gain during this stage is called deductive reasoning. This means they can take general facts and apply them to specific cases. For instance, if they know that "all humans are mortal" and "Socrates is human," they can correctly say, "Socrates is mortal."
Teens also start to think about their own thinking. This is known as metacognition. Being aware of their own thoughts helps them figure out how they learn best and make changes when needed. This leads to greater independence in how they understand and process information.
Piaget's theory of cognitive development helps us understand how teens think and learn. He described the last stage of his model as the formal operational stage, which usually starts around age 12.
In this stage, teenagers learn to think in more complicated ways. They can think about ideas that aren't just about the here and now. For example, while younger kids might find it hard to understand what justice means, teens can talk about fairness in society and think about it in different ways.
One important skill they gain during this stage is called deductive reasoning. This means they can take general facts and apply them to specific cases. For instance, if they know that "all humans are mortal" and "Socrates is human," they can correctly say, "Socrates is mortal."
Teens also start to think about their own thinking. This is known as metacognition. Being aware of their own thoughts helps them figure out how they learn best and make changes when needed. This leads to greater independence in how they understand and process information.