Pariksha SaathiLesson 8 of 10 · Child Development and Pedagogy
Language and Thought, and Gender as a Social Construct in the Classroom
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Piaget on language and thought
For Piaget, thought comes first and language reflects it. Children form concepts through action, and words are attached to concepts they already have; language by itself does not create logical thinking. Much of the talk of pre-operational children is egocentric speech - speaking without adjusting to the listener, or talking to oneself - which mirrors their egocentric thinking and declines by about 7 years as they learn to take other perspectives. On this view, a teacher should provide experiences first and the vocabulary for them afterwards.
Vygotsky on language and thought
Vygotsky held that thought and speech have different roots and develop separately at first - pre-linguistic thought in the infant and pre-intellectual speech such as crying and babbling - until around 2 years, when they meet: thought becomes verbal and speech becomes rational. Language, first used socially to communicate, is turned inward as private speech and then inner speech, and becomes the main tool of thinking. Language therefore shapes thought, and social interaction drives cognitive growth, so classroom talk, discussion and explaining one's reasoning are the very means by which children learn to think. Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf went further with the hypothesis of linguistic relativity: the language we speak influences how we perceive and think about the world.
How children acquire language
Behaviourists, led by Skinner in Verbal Behavior (1957), explained language learning through imitation and reinforcement. Noam Chomsky criticised this view and argued that children are born with a language acquisition device (LAD), an innate capacity tuned to a universal grammar common to all languages. The evidence includes the speed of learning, the fact that children produce sentences they have never heard, and overgeneralisation errors such as 'goed' or 'mouses', which show rules being applied rather than words being copied. Bruner added that the LAD needs a language acquisition support system (LASS) of adults who talk with the child. The usual sequence - cooing, babbling (around 6 months), the one-word stage (around the first birthday) and the two-word or telegraphic stage - is similar across languages, and Eric Lenneberg proposed a critical period for language that ends around puberty.
Language in the classroom
NCF 2005 treats multilingualism as a resource, asks schools to use the child's home language as a bridge, and wants language taught across the curriculum, because every subject is learned through language. The RTE Act 2009 (Section 29) says the medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be the child's mother tongue, and NEP 2020 says that wherever possible it should be the home language, mother tongue or local language at least until Grade 5, and preferably until Grade 8 and beyond. A child who mixes languages or makes errors is learning, not failing; the teacher should model correct use and encourage talk rather than correct every slip or punish the use of the home language.
Gender as a social construct
Sex refers to the biological differences between male and female bodies; gender refers to the roles, behaviour, attributes and expectations that a society considers appropriate for men and women. Gender is socially constructed: it is learned through socialisation - the toys children are given, the chores they are assigned, the language adults use ('boys don't cry'), the media, textbooks and school routines - and it varies across cultures and over time. Gender roles are the tasks and behaviour expected of each gender, such as the idea that cooking is women's work. Gender stereotypes are fixed, oversimplified generalisations, such as 'boys are better at mathematics' or 'girls are weak and emotional', and they limit both girls and boys. Children develop a sense of gender identity by about 2 to 3 years, and, in Kohlberg's account, gender constancy - the understanding that one's gender does not change with clothes or activities - by about 5 to 7 years.
The teacher's response to gender
Gender bias in schools is often unintended: asking boys to carry benches and girls to sweep or decorate, calling on boys more often for mathematics and science, praising girls for neatness and boys for ideas, or using books in which women appear only at home. A gender-sensitive teacher rotates duties among all children, forms mixed groups, uses gender-neutral language, gives equal attention and opportunity in sports, science and leadership, uses counter-stereotypical examples such as women scientists, pilots and athletes and men who cook and care for children, and discusses stereotypes openly when children voice them. NCF 2005 treats gender as a concern that cuts across the whole curriculum, and NEP 2020 counts girls and transgender students among the socio-economically disadvantaged groups and proposes a Gender-Inclusion Fund. In a CTET question, the right answer challenges the stereotype through discussion and equal opportunity without ridiculing the child who voiced it.
Key facts
- Piaget: thought comes first and language reflects it; the egocentric speech of pre-operational children declines by about 7 years.
- Vygotsky: thought and speech have separate roots and merge around 2 years; speech becomes private speech and then inner speech - language shapes thought.
- Chomsky: language acquisition device (LAD) and universal grammar; errors like 'goed' and 'mouses' show rule learning, not imitation.
- Skinner, Verbal Behavior (1957): language learned by imitation and reinforcement. Bruner: LASS - the support of adults who talk with the child.
- Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity): the language one speaks influences how one thinks and perceives.
- Medium of instruction: RTE Act 2009 - the mother tongue as far as practicable; NEP 2020 - home language at least till Grade 5, preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.
- Sex is biological; gender is socially constructed, learned through socialisation, and varies across cultures and over time.
- Gender stereotypes such as 'boys are better at maths' or 'girls should do the decoration' are countered with rotated duties, mixed groups and counter-examples.
- NEP 2020 counts girls and transgender students among socio-economically disadvantaged groups and proposes a Gender-Inclusion Fund.
Quick revision
Piaget: thought precedes language, egocentric speech; Vygotsky: thought and speech merge around 2 years, private then inner speech, language shapes thought; Chomsky LAD, universal grammar, overgeneralisation; Skinner Verbal Behavior 1957; Bruner LASS; Sapir-Whorf; RTE: mother tongue as far as practicable; NEP 2020: home language till Grade 5; sex biological, gender social construct; stereotypes and roles; rotate duties, mixed groups, counter-examples.