Lesson 1 - Piaget's Concept of Equilibration & Disequilibration

Presentation of Theoretical Construct

 

Lecture Information:

Piaget's Learning Model is one of the more profound models for learning that has yet been proposed.  Look carefully at the diagram given below.  Please note how the function of adaptation to the demands of a new environment work in this model.

Equilibration vs. Disequilibration:

Then, as a normal consequence of living, the learner encounters to a "new situation."  There you see a branching in the diagram into either "equilibration" or "disequilibration."  What Piaget basically means by those terms is that your schemes either work in the new situation or they don't.  If the "new situation" is in balance with the existing schema then that balance is referred to by Piaget as "equilibration" in that the existing knowledge base is working.  For example, using a similar one mentioned above, learning a new language that uses the same alphabet as your first language would work for you.  However, Piaget sees this as not always the case.  If the "new situation" is not in balance with existing schema then that imbalance would be referred to by Piaget as "disequilibration" in that the existing knowledge base is not working for the learner.  Using the same example as above, learning a new language such as Russian which has a different script from English, your existing knowledge base would not work in that "new situation."  Now the emotional orientation for each of these stages is of vital importance.  To the learner, "equilibration" feels comfortable, secure, and confident in other words feelings associated with balance.  However, "disequilibration" feels uncomfortable, insecure and fearful in other words feelings generally associated with being out of balance.  This is, in fact, the engine that makes the learning model move.

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