THE WORKS (cont)
•Beliefs not correct by adult criterion but are not incorrect either •classifying them as ‘true’ and ‘false’ we miss the real point and show a lack of respect for the child. •young children are in very good stead when they do not know enough or have enough skill to handle the kind of explanation that elders would prefer to have known.
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Piaget’s conversation with Julia shows five-year-old Julia’s beliefs, which are not correct by any adult criterion, but are not incorrect either.
Piaget believed that they are sensible and convert within the framework of the child’s way of knowledge.
When we classify them as ‘true’ and ‘false’ we miss the real point and show a lack of respect for the child.
The dialogue between Piaget and Julia on wind, by referring to body actions, which showed that young children are in very good stead when they do not know enough or have enough skill to handle the kind of explanation that elders would prefer to have known.