Although Perry's study appears somewhat dated and was based on a small sample of students from Harvard and Radcliffe, it remains the dominant theory on cognitive development. The scheme of development he describes has proven helpful in understanding students in many different settings. Perry concludes that students move through stages of cognitive development, each of which is qualitatively different and more complex than the previous stage. As students move through these stages, the ways in which they perceive, organize, and evaluate experiences and events in their lives change. In this study, Perry suggests that new or intellectually insecure students are often committed to a sense that information is either right or wrong, factual or subjective.
Uncertainty leads to discomfort and is often assumed to be the result of an error.
Draw upon course material that stimulates thinking about personal philosophy and life choices. 5 .Pose activities that ask students to generate new questions or evaluate assumptions inherent in how points of view are constructed. The essence of Finster's essay is that to be a good teacher one needs not only to build students' knowledge base but also to teach them to think critically as they learn. To do this you need to be aware of their developmental stages and learning styles. Another relatively uncomplex way to look at style is to focus on learning modalities.