Scaffolding Children’s Learning in the Classroom
The notion of scaffolding is increasingly
being used to describe the support provided for pupils to learn successfully in
classrooms. It would seem that
the term ‘scaffolding’ grew out of Vygotsky’s work and was developed by the
psychologist Jerome Bruner. As far as education is concerned the term ‘scaffolding’
refers to the way teachers provide ongoing assistance in children’s learning and
gradually removes their support as children can apply the new taught knowledge,
skills or strategies independently (Hogan and Pressley, 1997).
My experience as a trainee teacher lends support to
the ‘scaffolding’ approach especially since studies show that its application
on children’s learning raises their achievement (Schunk, 2013). Despite that,
some challenging factors of the ‘scaffolding’ approach
according to Bliss et al (1996) lie in the ability of the teacher. In other
words, the teacher must be skilled and have a sensitive awareness of both the
pupils’ needs and of the subject matter in hand to determine if the children
are making progress.
As Berk and Winsler (1995)
point out another potential drawback is that the teacher may need to provide
tailored assistance for the children which can be time consuming. Taking
into account my school placement experience, meeting everyone’s needs is a
challenging task indeed. On
the other hand, drawing on both theory and my school experience, as pupils become increasingly able to complete tasks
independently, it becomes apparent that it is crucial for the teacher to know
when to gradually withdraw their support from the children’s learning process.
Bruner was influenced by the
work of Vygotsky, who
shared Bruner's belief that a child's social environment and social
interactions are key elements of the learning process that help in extending
children’s learning. By contrast, Bruner’s ‘cognitive development theory’
appears to have also been influenced by Piaget who believed that the child plays an active role in the growth of
intelligence and learns by doing (McLeod, 2007).
Although I am taking my
first early steps into teaching, the theoretical principles of this teaching
method have already proved useful in assisting and furthering children’s
learning. Some propositions of this method that I have applied in the classroom
include the application of scaffolding strategies such as: tapping into the
children’s prior knowledge; modelling and using visual aids; planning
activities that stimulate talk as well as essential questioning which suggest
inquiry (Pritchard, 2013).
On reflection, these scaffolding
approaches have turned out to be areas of strength in my teaching practice.
However, considering my teacher-tutor feedback as well as reflecting on my
lesson evaluations I have also identified areas of weaknesses and of further
improvement. These are also strategies of the ‘scaffolding’ approach and
amongst them were not always considering the children’s needs in selecting
appropriate tasks and not providing consistent clear directions and
instructions to the children (Pritchard 2013).
Scaffolding a lesson may, in
fact, take longer to teach, but the end product is of far greater quality in my
view and the experience much more rewarding for all involved. In conclusion, the ‘scaffolding’
method comprises of a single theoretical perspective but it is armed with a
multidimensional nature of teaching strategies that can maximise opportunities
for facilitating and boosting children’s learning.
NB: This blog
contains 536 words.
Scaffolding in Education video
References:
Berk E and Winsler A
(1995) Scaffolding Children's Learning:
Vygotsky and Early Childhood Education. Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Hogan K and Pressley M (1997) Scaffolding Student Learning:
Instructional Approaches and Issues (Advances in Teaching & Learning). Cambridge, MA : Brookline Books.
McLeod S A (2007). Lev Vygotsky. Available at http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html/ [Accessed on 4th Apr].
Pritchard A (2013) Ways of
Learning: Learning theories and learning styles in the classrooms (3rd
ed). Abingdon: Routledge.
Scaffold
picture (2013) Available at https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAUQjhw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthekglawyerblog.com%2Fptblog%2F2013%2Ftest-out-the-scaffolding-a-qualitative-comparison-of-llb-threshold-learning-outcomes-and-the-plt-competency-standards-for-lawyers-skills%2F&ei=B-U2VYaJK87kaKqHgaAO&psig=AFQjCNEZ5OKo2-U6ebcm92i29-n2sjtlrw&ust=1429747329471883.
[Accessed on 12th April].
Schunk D (2013) Learning Theories:
An Educational Perspective (6th ed). Essex: Pearson Education
Limited.
Stevan W (2014) Scaffolding in
Education. Youtube video. Available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktXhlPUUPDs.
[Accessed on the 10th April 2015].
Van Der Stuyf R (2002) Scaffolding as a Teaching Strategy. Available at http://condor.admin.ccny.cuny.edu/~group4. [Accessed on 8th April].
