When dealing with Piaget's affects on classrooms, you
cannot leave out that Piaget basically started the idea of the "child-centered"
classroom.
This change in American and European education
started in the 70s and 80s and was most prominent in the early childhood grades.
Education up until this point focused mostly on teaching kids to sit still and listen to
and model themselves after the teacher. Typical classrooms included students in
straight rowed desks, sitting, reading, writing, and reciting. Piaget's theories
influenced education as we most often see it today, even up through high school
classrooms: students engaged in self-motivated learning, problem-solving, curiosity, and
educational "play."
Student-centered classrooms put the
burden and responsibility for learning on the student, rather than the teacher. Because
of this, the environment is more conducive to engaging multiple learning styles. While
students build an educational framework independently they also learn how to engage with
others and build ideas ideas interactively.
If you haven't
used it already, a great resource is Conversations with Jean
Piaget.
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