Question Discussion & Solution

Jean Piaget, a swiss psychologist, is famous for his work on child development. He made a systematic study of cognitive development in his theory that is categorized in four stages.

Key Points

Piaget used 'Schemas' for 'Organised packets of information stored in long term memory' as according to Piaget:

• Schemas are mental representations of how information is organized and interpreted.
• schemas refer to a small packet of information that is used to organize and store information.
• Schemas are specific psychological structures, constructed in organized ways to make sense of experience.

Hence, it could be concluded that Piaget used 'Schemas' for 'Organised packets of information stored in long term memory'.

Additional Information 

Other key Concepts of Piaget Theory:

• Accommodation: It is the modification of an existing schema to suit the new experience.

• Assimilation: It is the addition of a new concept or experience into an already existing schema.
• Equilibration: It refers to the process to find a balance between existing schemas and new information.

Social stratification can be defined as the arrangement of groups of individuals in hierarchical positions based on criteria like wealth, prestige, ethnicity, gender, and power. Because of the similarity of their positions in the social structure they develop a consciousness of who they are, what their common problems are, and what should be done to remove these problems. A social class is a group of individuals who have more or less similar wealth. 

Important Points

Class: Most modem societies have class-based stratification.

• However many features of traditional stratification may be observed in modem societies such as elements of the caste system and feudalism found in India.
• But with economic development, class-based stratification is becoming increasingly imminent.

Caste: Caste is a much-debated topic in India. The word 'caste refers to the Spanish word 'Casta' which means 'breed' in Spanish.

• In the Indian context, it represents caste and its related social practice.
• The caste system influences the social life of the Indian in several ways, as it assigns ascribed status to its members.
• According to the Rig Veda, the oldest and most important of all the four Vedas, four Varnas are placed in a hierarchical order-the Brahmans, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras.
• The profession of brahmans is that of priests and teachers. The Kshatriyas are warriors and rulers. The Visayas(Vis)are traders and other common people. The Shudras occupy the lowest position in the hierarchy and perform menial tasks.
• According to some historians, there is a fifth Varna, the untouchables, and they are not considered as a part of society. The tribes and people of other religions are also considered outside the Varna system

Gender: The unequal access to resources, opportunities, and rewards, and rights between men and women are legitimized by patriarchy across societies and cultures.

• Status inequality between men and women is not a new phenomenon that is reinforced through patriarchy and its institutions, gendered division of labor, and social institutions like marriage, dowry, property, and inheritance, and subordination.
• Women’s value is defined by their reproductive abilities rather than by their productive activities.
• Bridewealth is considered as compensation to the bride's parents or her kin for the productive and reproductive rights of the bride; dowry as a form of inheritance provides a bride with land and other wealth and helps her to attract a husband.

Religion: Another important aspect of the pluralism of India and at times cause a social conflict is a religion. As is well known, India is home to many religions. Almost all major religions in the world have followers in India.

• These include Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, and several others in small numbers.
• Hindus constitute 79.8% of the population and are present in almost every part of the country.
• Islam is the second most dominant religion, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists are comparatively small in numbers yet are an important part of India’s diversity. Sikhs constitute a majority in the state of Punjab, Muslims constitute a majority in Jammu and Kashmir, and have a significant presence in the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Assam.
• Christians also are spread all over India with a significant population in North Eastern States, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
• At the Social level, in general, there is harmonious co-existence and respect for each other’s religion.
• However, some vested interests particularly for political support, exploit the religious sentiments of the masses to keep them divided. That at times causes conflicts and growth of communalism.

Hence, we conclude that social stratification in India is mainly based on caste, class, religion, and gender.

Inclusive Education can be defined as an approach that seeks to address the learning needs of all children, adults, and youth with a specific focus on those who were vulnerable to marginalization and exclusion. All children, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, disability have the fundamental right to education as they are the future citizens of India.

Key Points

Purpose of Inclusive Education Classroom-

• To provide a positive climate and promote a sense of belonging.
• To provide sufficient levels of support and applying student-centered teaching practices and principles.
• To enable each student to fully participate in the learning environment that is designed for all students.
• To ensure the progress of students towards approximate personal social-emotional and academic goals.

So, education is compulsory for children with disabilities because it is their fundamental constitutional right.

Inclusive Education means education for all children in school. It refers to the inclusion of all children in the education system, regardless of their differences and disabilities.

• Hearing impairment refers to hearing loss that prevents a person from totally receiving sounds through the ear. If the loss is mild, the person has difficulty hearing faint or distant speech.

Key Points

If a teacher has a 'hearing impaired' child in her middle school class. She needs to make the child sit at a place from where she can see the teacher's lips and facial expressions clearly. 

Strategies for teaching Hearing Impaired child

• It is not possible to establish enough special schools to accommodate every hearing impaired\child. The other alternative is to use the already existing infrastructure in the general stream and integrate the hearing impaired children into the mainstream of education.
• Generally, hearing impaired children are as intelligent as children with normal hearing. Given timely help, these children can get successfully integrated into the educational system. 
• Children with hearing impairment find it difficult to have focussed listening for every word which is spoken. Children with hearing impairment find it difficult to have focussed listening for every word which is spoken. 
• Children are often comfortable with signs, and to facilitate them to understand the message, one may use signs freely. Once the child has understood the word or sentence, you may not need to use signs. Do encourage your child to speak words. You may repeat the word.

We can conclude that teacher can make the child sit at a place from where she can see the teacher's lips and facial expressions clearly.

Mind-mapping: A mind map is a graphical way to represent non-linear ideas and concepts.

• It is a visual thinking tool that helps to structure information, helping you to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall, and generate new ideas. Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity.

Key Points

‘Mind mapping’ refers to a technique to enhance comprehension as:

• It involves putting brainstormed ideas in the form of a visual map or picture that shows the relationships among these ideas.
• One starts with a central idea or topic, then draws branches of the main topic which represent different parts or aspects of the main topic. 

Additional Information

Mind mapping in education is perfect for:

• Visualizing concepts
• Brainstorming sessions
• Improving critical thinking
• Outlining written documents
• Storyboarding presentations
• Improving reading and writing skills
• Advanced research papers or graduate projects

Hence, it could be concluded that ‘Mind mapping’ refers to a technique to enhance comprehension.