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Writer's pictureReynan Dale Esquillo

Sociologist insists to bring back PH history in high school, when cognitive development at its peak


Art by Jun Vince Dizon


The late stages of childhood are a crucial part of a child’s mental development. This is the stage where children are equipped with vital skills needed to prepare them in life.


Supporting this is Emmanuel Caliwan, a sociologist, and the vice president for professional affairs of the High School Philippine History Movement (HSPHM).


In an online press conference, Caliwan explained the importance of teaching Philippine history subject in high school as this is the stage in which every child reaches the fourth and final stage of cognitive development.


“Our movement has advocated the return of history in high school. As written in different research, it is the period where minds are being developed for their formal thinking,” said Caliwan.


Teaching Philippine history in elementary, as stated by Caliwan and his colleagues from HSPHM, is not enough since only basic concepts are being taught, and children at this stage are still to undergo maturity in a later age.


Piaget’s Cognitive Development


Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, in his theory of cognitive development, explained that children undergo stages of mental development where their knowledge and understanding of the world are shaped from learned experiences and interaction with their surroundings. (Scott & Cogburn, 2021)


Piaget's four stages of development include sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2), preoperational stage (ages 2 to 7), concrete operational stage (age 7 to 11), and formal operational stage (age 12 and up). (Bjorklund, 2018, cited in Scott & Cogburn, 2021)


In an article, Piaget's Theory and Stages of Cognitive Development, written by McLeod (2020), he enumerated the major characteristics and developmental changes in the formal operational stage of cognitive development:

“(1) Concrete operations are carried out on things whereas formal operations are carried out on ideas. Formal operational thought is entirely freed from physical and perceptual constraints. (2) During this stage, adolescents can deal with abstract ideas. (3) They can follow the form of an argument without having to think in terms of specific examples. (4) Adolescents can deal with hypothetical problems with many possible solutions.”

As highlighted by Caliwan, Piaget’s cognitive development justifies the need of Philippine history in high school education.


“If you would look at John Piaget’s cognitive development, itong high school ay isa sa mga pinaka importanteng period ng ating pagiging isang tao dahil dito tayo naso-socialize para magkaroon ng formal thinking,” added Caliwan.


Caliwan further explained that formal thinking, which is developed under the formal operational stage of cognitive development, is crucial in transitioning to adulthood and later stages of life.


“This formal thinking that we are trained for in history and even in other writings are basically the tools that we would be using as we journey into adulthood, into our life,” said Caliwan.


On the other hand, McLeod (2020), in the same article, highlighted that Piaget’s theory “focuses on development, rather than learning per se, so it does not address learning of information or specific behaviors.”


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