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Burner’s Theory on Intellectual Development Moves from Enactive to Iconic and Symbolic Stages
Burner’s Theory on Intellectual Development
One of the most significant and well-known educational psychologists of the 20th century is Jerome Bruner. He studied how children’s minds developed in 1966 and discovered three phases of representation: the enactive stage, the iconic stage, and the symbolic representation stage. Instead of rote memorizing, he thought the main objective of education should be the intellectual growth of a student.
Burner’s Theory on Intellectual Development Moves from Enactive to Iconic and Symbolic Stages- Jerome Burner’s three modes of representations
Enactive Stage
Bruner’s initial step of representation is the enactive stage. It is defined by information encoding and storage. Direct manipulation of objects is used in place of internal representation. For instance, a young toddler will rely on prior experiences to predict what sound a rattle will produce when it is shaken.
Iconic Stage
The second level of representation is the iconic stage. From one to six years old, it starts. At this level, internal representations of external things take the shape of mental icons and pictures that have a visual quality. A youngster painting an automobile, for instance, typifies this period.
Symbolic Stage
The third stage of representation, known as the symbolic stage, begins when a child reaches the age of seven. Information is stored during this stage using symbols or codes, such as language. Each symbol stands for anything related to it. Mangoes, for instance, are a fruit kind represented symbolically.
According to Bruner, learning occurs in these three steps, with the first level being the direct manipulation of the item.
