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Children’s Minds
Margaret Donaldson's seminal work on child development, first published in 1978, has become a classic inquiry into the nature of human thought.
156 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 16, 2009
When I was in the teaching credential program at San Francisco State, I often thought it was odd and even wrong that I was never asked to read the foundational writers of educational theory and child psychology. Students read about Dewey, and Piaget, and Vygotsky, yet we never read the authors themselves.
As I have have forayed into this area of literature since those days, I have discovered one reason why: it's hard to read such work. But surely it's worth the effort. Conversancy with primary sources gives the learner a sense of investment and proprietorship in subject matter.
Given these thoughts, I really don't understand why teaching credential students at State were not assigned Donaldson's slim and relatively accessible 'Children's Minds.' I read it collaboratively with my sister, and have gained considerable insight into the work I do with children
A developmental psychologist writing in the late 70s, Donaldson begins by decisively moving away from the behavioralist movement of preceding decades, and then addressing the challenge to Piaget being taken up by educational theorists of the time who were largely influenced by Lev Vygotsky's 'Mind in Society,' just translated into English nearly a half century after the Russian's death.
Donalson comes down squarely in the revisionist camp, with strong arguments that some Piagetian tasks are faulty as evidence as to what is possible with young children because of Piaget's own adult presumptions. The argument put forth by her and others like Jerome Bruner is that we must direct our attention not just to what children can learn but how and why they learn and understand.
In one example, she refers to Piaget's 'three mountain' task where children's difficulty in switching perspective (what you could see from the other side of the mountain) is used forensically to define the limits of a particular developmental stage. Donaldson cites a counter-task staged by Martin Hughes where the consideration of another viewpoint is framed in terms a child can relate to, the story of a 'naughty boy' who is hiding from the authority figure of a policeman. Children doing this task were more engaged and successful than they were with the 'three mountains.'
I liked the way Donaldson defines the type of language necessary for the type of mental representation required for such sophisticated thinking, what Piaget terms 'formal operational' and Bruner 'symbolic'--'disembedded' language. What a lovely concrete way to describe abstraction, and what a wonderful way to remind us to initially 'embed' the language we employ in teaching children, before we push them to 'disembed.'
Donaldson makes the point that by finding ways to make the tools for deep thinking--reading, reflecting and writing--available to all, we are threatening existing power structures and encroaching on the turf of a 'powerful, intellectual elite.' Although things have changed since the 1970s, this is a point that is, unfortunately, no less valid today.
As I have have forayed into this area of literature since those days, I have discovered one reason why: it's hard to read such work. But surely it's worth the effort. Conversancy with primary sources gives the learner a sense of investment and proprietorship in subject matter.
Given these thoughts, I really don't understand why teaching credential students at State were not assigned Donaldson's slim and relatively accessible 'Children's Minds.' I read it collaboratively with my sister, and have gained considerable insight into the work I do with children
A developmental psychologist writing in the late 70s, Donaldson begins by decisively moving away from the behavioralist movement of preceding decades, and then addressing the challenge to Piaget being taken up by educational theorists of the time who were largely influenced by Lev Vygotsky's 'Mind in Society,' just translated into English nearly a half century after the Russian's death.
Donalson comes down squarely in the revisionist camp, with strong arguments that some Piagetian tasks are faulty as evidence as to what is possible with young children because of Piaget's own adult presumptions. The argument put forth by her and others like Jerome Bruner is that we must direct our attention not just to what children can learn but how and why they learn and understand.
In one example, she refers to Piaget's 'three mountain' task where children's difficulty in switching perspective (what you could see from the other side of the mountain) is used forensically to define the limits of a particular developmental stage. Donaldson cites a counter-task staged by Martin Hughes where the consideration of another viewpoint is framed in terms a child can relate to, the story of a 'naughty boy' who is hiding from the authority figure of a policeman. Children doing this task were more engaged and successful than they were with the 'three mountains.'
I liked the way Donaldson defines the type of language necessary for the type of mental representation required for such sophisticated thinking, what Piaget terms 'formal operational' and Bruner 'symbolic'--'disembedded' language. What a lovely concrete way to describe abstraction, and what a wonderful way to remind us to initially 'embed' the language we employ in teaching children, before we push them to 'disembed.'
Donaldson makes the point that by finding ways to make the tools for deep thinking--reading, reflecting and writing--available to all, we are threatening existing power structures and encroaching on the turf of a 'powerful, intellectual elite.' Although things have changed since the 1970s, this is a point that is, unfortunately, no less valid today.
August 15, 2014
Although influenced by his work (she even started her career at his Institut pour les Sciences de l'Education in Geneva) Margaret Donaldson is here rejecting or, at least nuancing, some of Jean Piaget's theories.
Don't worry if you are unfamiliar with those theories! Not only does she explain them before criticising them but, there's also a welcomed Appendix where she outlines them in details, developing their key concepts. Thus, even if the whole deals with complicated quarrels relating from child psychology to linguistics, she remains accessible to the common reader. Follow a book that is short and quickly read, but a fascinating insight into children's minds. First, for its questioning of Piaget's ideas regarding their cognitive abilities -at least up to the age of seven. Then, and above all, for the consequences upon education of such questioning. Indeed, if understanding clearly how children think and reason is important for understanding how they learn, it is crucial for helping how to implement better way to teach. Are schools taking such ideas into account? That's another issue... Published more than 30 years ago, this short little book is interesting and insightful. It is above all still highly relevant.
Don't worry if you are unfamiliar with those theories! Not only does she explain them before criticising them but, there's also a welcomed Appendix where she outlines them in details, developing their key concepts. Thus, even if the whole deals with complicated quarrels relating from child psychology to linguistics, she remains accessible to the common reader. Follow a book that is short and quickly read, but a fascinating insight into children's minds. First, for its questioning of Piaget's ideas regarding their cognitive abilities -at least up to the age of seven. Then, and above all, for the consequences upon education of such questioning. Indeed, if understanding clearly how children think and reason is important for understanding how they learn, it is crucial for helping how to implement better way to teach. Are schools taking such ideas into account? That's another issue... Published more than 30 years ago, this short little book is interesting and insightful. It is above all still highly relevant.
November 22, 2010
Before I started my new job I wanted to try and get some idea of how children's minds work. This book was recommended to me - it's short and easy to read, and conveys a lot of information in language that is clear and easy to understand. Donaldson looks at the Piagetian theory of child development in terms of mental abilities and comprehension of concepts such as conservation, and uses examples from research to show what children are actually able to do in practice.
Despite not reading it that long ago, I can't remember any specifics, but do remember an overall theme that suggests that children are capable of a lot more than Piaget (and others) may have initially given them credit for, and that tasks are made considerably easier for them when you place them in context and use appropriate language. This was the take home message for me really. Not really that much of a surprise I suppose, but something that I think could be easily overlooked (certainly in my case as I'm used to working with adults).
As it's so short, I imagine I'll dip in and out of this again in the future. Despite being written in the 70s I think a lot of what Donaldson has to say is still relevant now (though I imagine the research has moved on significantly).
Despite not reading it that long ago, I can't remember any specifics, but do remember an overall theme that suggests that children are capable of a lot more than Piaget (and others) may have initially given them credit for, and that tasks are made considerably easier for them when you place them in context and use appropriate language. This was the take home message for me really. Not really that much of a surprise I suppose, but something that I think could be easily overlooked (certainly in my case as I'm used to working with adults).
As it's so short, I imagine I'll dip in and out of this again in the future. Despite being written in the 70s I think a lot of what Donaldson has to say is still relevant now (though I imagine the research has moved on significantly).
October 22, 2008
I forgot almost everything that I read from this book almost immediately upon putting it down. It was for school and my heart (and mind) were not in it. It may be perfectly good. I have no way of knowing.
March 27, 2018
95% theory and 5% practical. The appendix is a short but concise summary of Piaget’s theory of child development.
Donaldson does hard lifting. She brings in numerous experiments that show how Piaget’s theories are mostly correct. He was too limiting on the ages of children for his stages of development. The results that are reported are surprising and show the reader clearly the developing mind of the child - fascinating stuff.
She was able to lose me a few times in the high minded theorist driven sections which are sprinkled through out the book.
The book hooks you with a question of why older kids hate school, but her answers seem anti-climatic. You need to do the hard work and read it for her answer-which is relevant-although somewhat simplified.
Donaldson does hard lifting. She brings in numerous experiments that show how Piaget’s theories are mostly correct. He was too limiting on the ages of children for his stages of development. The results that are reported are surprising and show the reader clearly the developing mind of the child - fascinating stuff.
She was able to lose me a few times in the high minded theorist driven sections which are sprinkled through out the book.
The book hooks you with a question of why older kids hate school, but her answers seem anti-climatic. You need to do the hard work and read it for her answer-which is relevant-although somewhat simplified.
December 15, 2023
This book takes Piaget's theory and stages of development as a starting place and examines the research on the extent to which children are actually capable of some of the thinking Piaget's theory suggests they are not capable of. Donaldson makes a powerful argument, supported by solid evidence, that in fact very young children are capable of some of the reasoning Piaget says they cannot perform, as long as they are allowed to reason in context rather than using tasks which are completely divorced from their reality as children. She refers to human sense-making, which privileges the situation and the intentions and motives of actors in that situation over the language used to describe the situation.
The book is a fascinating description of how children's minds work.
The book is a fascinating description of how children's minds work.
October 31, 2019
Albeit bit irrelevant if you aren't into critique of models and theories of learning promoted by behaviourists (here Piaget got his share), it's a thought-provoking little book focusing reader on how attention to the learning process (and effort put into understanding it) might benefit child. It's also a pre-Pinker era critique of Chomsky's theory of language acquisition. Finishing with a world of warning on education linked entitlement, this book full of gems give me yet another perspective allowing to analyse society disintegration. Well worth quick read.
January 28, 2018
Donaldson is a necessary read if studying Piaget and the field of children’s cognition. Donaldson critiques Piaget’s position, instead promoting the notion closer to Vygotsky that children’s cognitive thresholds can be extended if appropriate scaffolds and frameworks are put in place. Many interesting variations of studies (such as the three mountains task) are described with Donaldson’s interpretation.
December 13, 2019
Concise review of a beautiful, small book - children's mental processes are generally underestimated, teaching false over-simplification can have negative effects on future learning, verbal encouragement(with sufficient information) works more than material rewards and errors should be responded to by gently trying to understand, why the child is making a particular mistake.
July 2, 2021
A little book about how kids learn, how they interpret language and how they think. It’s interesting but not that interesting at the same time. It’s structured in a way that I found challenging to retain information. It was a meh experience. It however made me pay more attention to kids and how they behave. They’re fascinating creatures.
April 6, 2024
Mainly pokes holes in Piaget and co's experiments, showing a la Socrates that we don't know as much as we think, and the importance language in children's experiments can't be understated. Puts forward a little herself notably about how school sucks and how reading affects thinking development. Lovely concise writing.
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December 3, 2022Ll
June 16, 2023
Children’s Minds by Margaret Donaldson Professor of Developmental Psychology was produced in collaboration with Harper Collins and the Open University in 1978. This is a very succinct scholarly book for a complex set of psychological disciplines, complete with a plethora of footnotes and illustrations of the methods adopted in each study. Donaldson’s book primarily concentrates on challenging the limitations of Jean Piaget’s work, for instance Language and thought of the child, (1926) encompassing the concept of Decentring and the Egotistic Illusion. Moreover, Carl Gustav Jung’s Development of Personality, (1954). Noam Chomsky’s pioneering studies on Aspects of the theory of Syntax, (1965). Equally focusing on the notion of Child Development, Language, False Belief tasks through the lens of analysing classical conducted research. The most notable researchers alongside the Psychological icons mentioned are John McNamara’s cognitive basis for language learning in infants. McNamara was an outspoken critique of Chomsky’s Language Acquisition Device (LAD), https://www.waterstones.com/book/chil.... Donaldson demonstrates the example of Socrates teaching a slave boy Geometry described in ‘The Meno Dialogue.’ The slave boy arrived with a false belief that when increasing the squares circumference, the sides double in length therefore raising the chance for error in his geometry lesson, Plato, Protagoras and Meno Socrates, (1956). The final page of the book mentions ‘leaving speculation to the futurologists’ following completion of assisting individuals in obtaining intellectual fulfilment, https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/a....
March 21, 2017
Although this is more or less 40 years old, Donaldson's work is still hugely relevant in education today. The points she makes are well researched, clear and sensible and she makes great pains to bridge the gaps for the reader between Piaget's perhaps unfamiliar and esoteric tenets and her own observations, beliefs and criticisms of his work. As a teacher in a deprived area of EAL children, it has been an affirming experience for me hearing how reading and language are vital skills, necessary strong foundations and pathways to more critical and higher-level learning and thought. It was also interesting to have illuminated the issue of decentralisation and perspective taking - skills you are aware of but perhaps put on autopilot, when in fact they should be given greater attention and consciousness.
February 4, 2009
This is one of the best accounts of how children "see" the world that I have read- and I used to teach developmental psychology at uni. The writing is a bit twisted for the lay reader, but I'd urge parents interested in how their children view their lives and learning, to take a brief look at the chapters on children's points of view. It's fascinating getting into the child's head via the clever experiments Donaldson and her pals dreamed up! I know my kindergarten teacher trainees used to be amazed if they got into this book and really understood it! Their own views on the world were an entirely different kettle of fish, however! It would be great for police and legal workers who must deal with children also.
July 27, 2011
A very interesting read although it seemed at times I was wading through treacle.
October 6, 2012
An interesting insight into the minds of children and development of thinking.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews