15 Their thought is also characterized by the dominance of perception over
reasoning and by egocentrism, centration, and inability to follow transformations, and inability to solve conservation problems. In fact, they are able to think more
logically than children in the sensorimotor stage but they are still in semi logical way of thinking.
The third stage is concrete operational which usually occurs between the ages of seven until eleven. During these years, the child develops the ability to
apply logical thought to concrete problem at present. It means that during this stage, the child evolves logical thought processes that can be applied to the
existed problem. Concrete operational children cannot apply logical thought yet to problems that are hypothetical, purely verbal, or abstract. If they are presented
with a purely verbal problem, they are unable to solve it correctly. Then the last stage of cognitive developments is formal operations.
Children who have reached the developmental stage of formal operational are generally around the age of eleven until sixteen years old. Their cognitive
structures reach maturity during this stage. They have constructed the reasoning and logic to solve all classes of problems. It can be said that they are able to solve
abstract problems in a systematic and logical way.
c. How Children Learn
The five-year-old child learns rapidly. Heshe has big curiosity and wants to find out about things. The greater the mental ability of a child, the more rapidly
16 heshe will learn Foster and Headley, 1959: 12. Experts in Psychology and language
learning and teaching have argued that the earlier we learn language, the more successful we will be.
According to Kolesnik 1976: 2, environment plays an important role in child’s learning process. Montessori as quoted by Curtis 1998: 6 also believes that
children learn from their own spontaneous activities and therefore, a well-prepared environment is so important. She considered that every child is a unique and is
affected by the society and the environment, and also the child is able to develop their own natural potential.
Related to language learning, psychologists have made a lot of contribution to the understanding of language learning theory. One of the arguments is that a critical
period for foreign language acquisition occurs around puberty. In around puberty, the brain lateralization – certain functions are assigned to the part of the brain – is
completed Lenneberg, cited in Brown, 1987:43. He says that brain lateralization begins in children around the age of two and is completed around puberty. During
this time, the child is neurologically assigning functions little by little to one side of the brain or the other, included in this functions is language Brown, 1987: 43. He
suggests further that the plasticity of the brain prior to the puberty enable children to acquire not only the first language but also the second or the foreign language.
In learning, the child should be engaged closely to the process of learning. Blackie 1967:28 added that children need exercising. It means that children are
allowed to do things repeatedly to reassure themselves that what they have learned is PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
17 true. The exercises should be pleasurable and fit with their characteristics. Moreover,
children should be given an opportunity to relate what they learn, see, and know continually in a pleasure way in order to motivate them in learning. It is clear,
therefore, that a child’s interaction with his her physical and social environment is significant to both intellectual and language development as well.
Nissani 1993 also argued that children are encouraged to become involved in purposeful and creative activities with other children, to make major choices
among hands-on learning activities, to initiate and accomplish self-motivated tasks in a rich environment, and to construct knowledge at their own individual pace by
discovering and engaging in open-ended activities that reflect all areas of their development. It tends to be highly student centered and keeps children’s
developmental needs in mind by allowing them to learn at their own pace and in their own learning styles. It involves a great deal of creativity on the part of the teacher,
who continually develops ways for children to interact in hands-on tasks and activities in which they may construct their own meaning through interaction.
There are some natural learning styles of young children according to Holt 1967. They are as follows:
1. Children are curious Children want to make sense out of things, find out how things work, gain
competence, control over themselves and their environment, and do what they can see other people doing.
2. Open, receptive, and perceptive PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
18 Children do not shut themselves off from the strange, confused, complicated
world around them. They observe it closely, sharply, and tries to take it all in. 3. Experimental
Children do not merely observe the world around them but taste it, touch it, even break it. To find out how reality works, they work on it.
4. Bold Children are not afraid of making mistake.
5. Patient Children can tolerate confusion, ignorance, and suspense. They do not have to
have instant meaning in any new situation. They are willing and able to wait for meaning to come to them even if it comes very slowly.
From the explanation about the children’s characteristics, it is known that they are different from adult in the way of learning something. Therefore, it is crucial for
kindergarten teachers to analyze children’s characteristics and fix them in the lesson so that the learning experiences can run smoothly and meaningful.
4. Multiple Intelligences Theory
