A. Introduction
Kindergarten is a formal education before children enter elementary school, this institution is considered important because for a child this age is the golden age (golden age) in which there is a "sensitive period" that only come once. Sensitive period is a period that demands the development of children developed optimally. Research shows that 80% mental development, intellect of children take place at this age. Reality on the ground that
the children who live class, drop out, especially in low-grade caused child concerned is not through education in kindergarten.
In human life, nobody who wants a setback in the development of the child but instead each wants human development red Kea is an achievement in a higher level of previous. One of area of development in nursery-kank is the field of cognitive development. To develop teachers' cognitive teaching models are expected to refer to this learning guide. Cognitive abilities of teachers prepared to increase the capability and creativity children in accordance with its development.
The development of cognitive skills being developed and implemented in accordance with the ability of school children in developing learning models based on creativity, not so far conflict with the principle and the principle of learning in kindergarten.
B. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPTS
Cognitive development is a process of thinking in the ability to connect, assess and consider something. Can also be understood as the ability to solve problems or to create works that in respect of a culture.
1. The main aspects of cognitive development
Cognitive development is a manifestation of the primary capabilities are:
- Language skills (verbal comprehension)
- Ability to recall (memory)
- Reasoning or logical thinking ability (reasoning)
- Ability space (spatial factor)
- Ability of numbers (numerical ABILITY)
- Ability to use words (Word Fluency)
- Ability to quickly and carefully studied (perceptual speed)
a. Feature of Cognitive-behavioral
- Smooth Thinking, which generate lots of ideas or answers relevant and thoughts flow smoothly.
- Think flexibly, generate ideas, capable of change the manner or direction of approach and different ideas.
- Original thinking, which gives an answer which can neither unusual or other than others that are rarely given most other people.
- Thinking in detail (elaboration), which develops, add, enrich an idea, refine the details and expand an idea.
b. Stages of cognitive development
Piaget divides the four levels of development in the brain's ability to think develops knowledge (Cognitive), ie stages of sensory motor, pre operational concrete, concrete operational and formal operational.
Children in kindergarten are at pre-operational stage (2-7 years).
It said pre-operational because the child has to use logic on his place. more information, more at this stage to explain as follows:
- At this stage the child develops the ability to perceive coordinated and coordinate well with the movements and actions of physical. in fact, pre-operational child's ability to anticipate the effect of one event in another event.
- pre-operational child's development, enabling children to think and existence of an object or a specific event or incident, although it was out of sight, hearing, or range of hands.
- Children understand that changes in one factor caused by changes in other factors. For example, two tumblers with a capacity equal but different forms of water poured by the same amount, so the child will tend to guess the contents of a tall glass over lots of glass that is short on content, because children are able to look at the height of high water on the glass calculating the quantity of the same volume on a short but great glasses.
- At this stage the child has a delusion because he thinks by virtue of inspiration.
Piaget suggests or identifies three stages of the process of building Knowledge:
- Assimilation, the process of assimilation in the form of an active process in using the scheme to respond to the environment. The process of assimilation is the process of unification of the new Beside the cognitive structures that already exist in the minds of children.
- Accommodation, is the adjustment scheme that matches the application environment that responded to, or adjustment of cognitive structure into a new situation.
- Equilibrium, is a balance between environmental schemes that are used with which responded as a result of the accuracy of accommodation, or adjustment between assimilation and accommodation.
c. Multiple Intelligences
Intelligence is an expression of how to think someone that could be used as capital in learning. INTELLIGENCE someone has great benefits in addition to himself, as well as for interaction in the community. Gardner did not look at human intelligence based on scores alone and not something that can be viewed or counted, but the size of the described capabilities as follows:
- ability to solve problems.
- The ability to generate new problems to solve.
- The ability to create something or give awards.
Multiple Intelligences in divided into nine types:
- logical-mathematical intelligence
- intelligence language (linguistic)
- musical intelligence
- spatial intelligence
- kinesthetic intelligence
- Interpersonal intelligence
- intra-personal intelligence
- naturalistic intelligence
- spiritual intelligence
d. Theory of brain development
Semiawan, quoting from Clark, explained that when a child is born the human brain has brought the potential contained within the 100-200milyar neuron cells stored in his brain. Each neuron cells wired ready developed grow to process several trillion information.
During development, the brain continues to experience changes in accordance with the stimulation received through all five senses. Because of this reason will affect the level of intelligence, personality. And quality of life of a child. In essence brain that determines behavior, determines the personality, and storing memories of the experience. Other words with less brain and nervous system is a device that produces and regulates all activities of the body.
e. The way children construct knowledge
constructivism theory confirmed that an active process where children build concepts or new ideas based on the knowledge they have acquired. Children choose and change the form of information, develop hypotheses, make decisions, rests on a structure to do that Vygotsky's theory explains that children learn from real objects and objects moving.
f. Classification of cognitive development
Cognitive development classification is intended to facilitate teachers and other adults in stimulating the cognitive abilities of children, so it will reached optimizing the potential of each child. More detail can be described as follows:
1. Auditory development
This ability is related to sound or sense of hearing children. Capabilities being developed include: listening to or imitating sounds heard in everyday life, listen to songs or poems well, follow simple spoken commands, listening to stories well, revealing again a simple story, guess the song or music appreciation, followed by rhythmic clapping, know the origin of the sound and know the name of the object that was rung.
2. Visual development
This ability associated with vision, observation, attention, and perceptions of child responses to the surrounding environment. Capabilities developed between other: recognize everyday objects, comparing objects from simple to more complex, knowing the object of the size, shape, or of his color, learned of the missing objects when shown a picture of an incomplete or inelegant, answer questions about a picture or other series and, arranging puzzle pieces ranging from a more complicated until to recognize his own name when writing and recognize letters and numbers.
3. The development of kinesthetic
Ability associated with the smooth motion of the hand, arm or fine motor skills that affect cognitive development Capabilities developed another between: finger painting with starch, tracing the letters of geometry, watercolor, colored with a simple, simple sewing, ripping the paper newspaper, creating shapes with blocks, coloring pictures, create their own images with various media,
creating a circle, square, triangle or square rectangle, hold and control a pencil, arrange or combine pieces of a picture or a puzzle in the form of a simple, use capable with good scissors, and able to write.
4. arithmetic growth
The ability arithmetic associated with the ability to be directed to numeracy or beginning math concepts. Capabilities developed, among others; identify or count the numbers, called sequence numbers, counting objects, identifying the set with the value of different numbers, giving the value of numbers in a collect things, doing or completing the addition operation, subtraction, multiplication and division by using concepts from concrete to abstract, linking the concept number with symbol numbers, and created shapes with number. concept can be applied to practice:
- using the concept of time such as today's
- stating the time by hours
- five until sort objects based on the order of ten large high
- recognize the addition or subtraction
5. Geometric Growth
Ability associated with development of the concept of geometric shapes and sizes. Capabilities being developed include:
a. Selecting objects by color, and size of format
b. Matching objects by color, shape and size
c. Compare objects according to the size of the smallest, at length, high-low.
d. Objects in a simple measure
e. Understand and use the language of size, such as large-small, high-low, short and long-
f. Creating forms from fragments of geometry
g. Calling the existing objects in the classroom in accordance with geometric shapes
h. Imitate geometrical forms
i. Calls, shows, and classifications of circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals
j. Structuring the tower of eight cubes
k. Know the length, weight and content
l. Mimic the pattern of four cubes
6. The progress of science beginning
The ability of science related to the beginning of the experiment or demonstration with various as an approach or logic sainstific but still considering the child's stage of thinking.
The ability to be developed include:
a. explores the various objects that exist in the vicinity.
b. Simple experiment.
c. can communicated what has been observed and studied
G. Characteristics of cognitive development
Characteristic dimension of cognitive development, among others:
1. Can understand the concept of opposite meanings, such as blank-filled, light weight, top-down, etc.
2. Can match geometric shapes (circle, square and triangle) with
through visualization of real objects or pictures,
3. Can be stacked blocks or bangles in a sequence based on their size.
4. Can group objects that have same color, shape, and
sizes.
5. Can mention couple of things, able to understand cause and effect.
6. Can assemble their daily activities and indicates when each activity
performed.
7. 3 retell the main idea of a story.
8. Recognize and read through image that is often seen at home
or school.
9. Recognize and name figures 1-10.
CONCLUSION
Cognitive abilities is one of the areas of development of basic skills be prepared by teachers to enhance their skills and creativity of children in accordance with development stage. The development of cognitive skills acquisition process is aimed for children learning skills, discover a variety of alternative solutions, development of mathematical logic skills, knowledge of space and time, sorting and grouping capabilities, and meticulous preparation for the development of thinking skills.
In the implementation of cognitive development, activities should be adjusted to the level of child development with environmental conditions and is associated with a theme. In addition, children can develop a well-known knowledge with newly acquired knowledge.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|