Nursery World - Learning & Development: Schemas

New research is challenging our understanding of repeated patterns
of action, or schemas. Dr Cath Arnold, consultant at the Pen Green
Centre, looks at how we can refine our approach.

As 'schema theory' becomes better known, inevitably more challenges and questions arise about its validity and usefulness to those of us involved in aiming to provide high-quality experiences for young children.

Recently, Professor Usha Goswami's research paper for the Cambridge Primary Review Trust argued that the evidence no longer supports Jean Piaget's 'stage theory', meaning that an important part of the theory behind schemas - that the repetition of certain actions will support development from the sensory-motor stage to abstract thought - is not supported.

It is the questions and challenges (or 'perturbations') that enable us to refine the theory, taking into account research unavailable during Piaget's, or even Chris Athey's lifetime. Athey, who trained and supported staff at Pen Green to reflect on video sequences using 'schemas' as a framework, used to remind us frequently that 'all knowledge is partial'. I agree with this and write this article in the spirit of reflecting on what I know of schemas up to now based on a great number of observational studies.

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