Educational Media Reviews Online

Piaget's Developmental Theory: An Overview provides a brief introduction to the work of developmental psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980). The program discusses Piaget and his research by dividing his life into four periods that span the early 1920's to his death in 1980. Piaget's contributions are examined by narrator David Elkind, Ph.D., a scholar who has studied and applied these theories in the classroom.

This program emphasizes both Piaget's belief that intelligence develops in a series of age related stages that cannot be hurried, and his formation of a logical model to describe the course of mental development. The four major stages of development include: sensorimotor stage-birth to 2 years; pre-operational stage-2 to 6-7 years; concrete operational stage-6-7 to 11-12 years; and, formal operations stage-11-12 through adolescence.

Piaget's Developmental Theory: An Overview introduces theories of child development in a concise but thorough manner. Examples of the various stages and processes are clearly illustrated through taped exercises with children. The program is well organized with excellent video and audio quality. Given the specific focus of the subject matter and research level content, this program is highly recommend for academic libraries only. Although slightly older than some of the other available videos on Piaget, the program would readily support instruction and basic research in both education and psychology subject areas. Related titles available from Davidson Films, Inc. include Piaget's Developmental Theory: Concrete Operations and Using What We Know: Applying Piaget's Developmental Theory to Primary Classrooms.