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psychlotron.org.uk
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Name of resource: Piaget 1: adaptation slides
Author(s): Aidan Sammons, Paul Cline
Specification: AQA-B
Details: Slideshow introducing Piaget's theory, focusing on schemas and adaptation.  There 
are 'thought questions' throughout that can be used for AfL type purposes.

Slide 5 accompanies an activity designed by Paul Cline.  You will need (1) a collection of
small object your students will find familiar; (2) a second collection of objects they
will not have encountered before.

Students pair up.  One is the investigator and one is the child.  Give each child a
familiar object.  The child must play with it for a minute or so whilst the investigator
observes.  Get feedback from the investigators about the children's behaviour.  This can
be used to illustrate assimilation since most observations will suggest the child has a 
schema correspondi ng to the object and actied accordingly.

They then swap roles.  This time give each child an unfamiliar object and the
same general instructions.  This time, feedback from the children and investigators can be
used to illustrate disequilibrium (there is often confusion and sometimes frustration),
and attrempts to assimilate, possibly involving some accomodation.