In Piaget’s cognitive constructivism, humans organize information about their experiences in schemata that they create.  Piaget demonstrated that children of different ages have differing abilities to form certain kinds of schemata.  James mentions stages of development, although his focus is on students’ changing interests and tendencies rather than abilities:  “In children we observe a ripening of impulses and interests in a certain determinate order . . . the proper pedagogic moment to work skill in . . . is when the native impulse is most acutely present” (James, 1899/2001, p. 31).  Piaget and James both explain that teachers should be sensitive to development in designing instruction.  For Piaget, this means not rushing students to tackle tasks for which they are not cognitively able.  For James, this means targeting instruction to a child’s current interests.

James, W. (1899/2001). Talks to teachers on psychology and to students on some of life’s ideals. Mineola, NY: Dover. ISBN: 0486-41964-9