Cognitive Development: Piaget believed that language development was associated with cognitive development, or one's thinking processes. Children between the ages of 2 and 7 are classified in Piaget's preoperational cognitive stage. At this stage children use their well-developed ability to symbolize absent events or objects. Although children can represent absent objects, they do not allow them to think about the reversible cost of actions. According to Piaget, understanding at this stage is based on appearances rather than core beliefs (Gray, 1991). For example, a child playing with a ball of playdough might say he has less than the child playing with a flat piece of playdough simply because it is a different shape. Even during the preoperational stage, children are able to expand their vocabulary from 3,000 to 8,000 words. Their sentences grow in length and complexity. They commonly use grammatically correct sentences and learn the basics of writing and reading (Cooter & Reutzel, 2008). During cognitive development it is important for teachers to allow students time to take breaks between classroom activities such as recess and other extracurricular activities. Learning large amounts of material is easier for children to understand when it is assimilated in chunks. Give children short tasks and move from challenging to less challenging activities (Biehler & Snowman, 2000). Based on my experiences, children at this stage have not yet mastered their language skills. Their attention span improves throughout the year as does their ability to process information. Sometimes they have difficulty thinking outside the box because they only see things from their point of view. Turn on...... middle of paper...... There are many things I have learned this past year and many more things to learn. I will continue to grow. Demonstrate Professionalism: I have demonstrated professionalism throughout the year. Taking on a full load of my masters and being a first year teacher was a challenge. I learned very quickly the things I could and couldn't do. I kept a lot to myself because I was always listening. I was learning at school and at work. I've learned to never use a child's name, especially when you're in public. I have learned to be very prepared during any meetings with administrators or parents. I made sure I had the correct forms on file to protect myself. I have always shown respect towards my parents, students, administrators, and fellow teachers. I wasn't afraid to ask for help when I needed it. I have always maintained an open form of communication between myself and my principle.