Mahani Abdul

Malik

Scaffolding
Seminar 3
 Scaffolding

Learning Outcome
By the end of this topic you should be able to:

 Explain in your own words what ZPD is; and

 Design suitable collaborative with young children
using scaffolding as an important element in the
learning.
 Scaffolding

What is this ?

What is it’s purpose and

how can you link it to
teaching children ?
 Scaffolding

Maybin, Mercer and Steirer

(1992: 186)

Define Scaffolding:
“as the temporary but essential nature of the mentor’s
assistance in supporting learners to carry out tasks
successfully. ”

Why Temporary?
 Scaffolding

Scaffolding represents the kind and quality of

cognitive support which an adult can provide for a
child’s learning, which anticipates the child’s own
internalisation of mental functions’

Is this a Two –Way

Process ?
 Framework of Effective Practice

Highly
Individualized
Teaching &
Learning

Research –
based Ongoing
curriculum, Assessment
teaching &
learning

Engaging Interaction & Environment

 Framework Of learning Context by
Mariani
Challenge
Extension of
Demand too high learning &
failure likely capability

High C, Low Supp. High C, High Support

Low Motivation, Comfortable

boredom and easy, Little
behaviour learning Likely
problems likely

Low C, Low Support Low C, High Support

Support
 Vygotsky (1978) wrote, good learning is that which is
ahead of actual development.

A major feature of scaffolding is its ability to capture

the role of the‘expert’, or more knowledgeable
other (typically the teacher), in assisting students’
learning, and in extending students’ current levels of
understanding or current capabilities.
 Scaffolding

 An important feature of scaffolding is its temporary nature.

 Teacher support is gradually withdrawn as the learners

become increasingly able to complete a task alone. Timely
support is critical to effective scaffolding.
 Scaffolding

Scaffolding
 Scaffolding therefore is not only teacher support
but assistance that is designed to help learners to
work with increasing independence to know not
only what to think and do, but how to think and
do, so that new skills and understandings can be
applied in new contexts.
 Scaffolding

Ideally, the teacher accommodates learner

initiatives as a new concept or process is grasped,
but also provides further support if learners begin
to falter. The sensitivity and skill involved in
responding contingently to students is sometimes
seen as the defining quality of teaching.
 Scaffolding

Interactional scaffolding may well be the driving force

behind good pedagogy, the hallmark of a good teacher.
 Scaffolding

Effective scaffolding requires clearly

articulated goals and learning
activities that are structured to
enable learners to extend their
existing levels of understanding.
Teachers must have a good
understanding

Demand of
Curriculum
the specific
area
task
Distinguishing Scaffolding from
other Kinds of Teaching and
Learning
1. Students could not succeed without the
teacher’s intervention.
2. The teacher aims for some new level of
independent competence on the
students’part.
3. The teacher has the learning of some specific
skill or concept in mind.
4. There must be evidence of students
successfully completing the particular task at
hand.
5. There must also be evidence that learners
are now able to go on to deal independently
with subsequent related tasks or problems.
5 Components of
scaffolding
 Selecting the activity in whch guidance
takes place
 Deciding the goals of the activity
 Establishing bridges between what the
young child knows and what the adult
wants to introduce
 Ensure the child attains independent
functioning
 Communicate in various approaches
How Do we Scaffold Young
Children

Discuss in groups how you

would scaffold children in the
following age groups

• 6-12 Months old

• 2 years old
• 4-6 years old
Lets watch this video and identify the three methods
used in the video for scaffolding.

Class Discussion :
Discuss in general how you tried scaffolding in class.
Could you have done it better to get a better result?
Scaffolding & Vygotsky Theory

Vygotsky (eg 1978) argued that learning and

cognitive development are culturally and socially
based. In other words, learning is a social process
rather than an individual one, and occurs during
interactions between individuals.
 Vygotsky Theory
 According to Vygotsky when children interact with
adults they are able to reach a stage that was not
possible without any guidance from the adult. This
stage is what is known as the

“ZONE of Proximal Development”

 Vygotsky
(1978: 86)
Argued that the Zone of proximal Development or
ZPD is a key element in the learning process.

Tool Mediation

Social Mediation
learning
Guided learning Internalisation

Intersubjectivity

Active position of
Independent learning the child in learning
 Let’s watch this video on Zone of Proximal
Development ( Video 2)
 Effective Scaffolding to
Achieve Zone of Proximal
1.
Development
The nature of the dialogue should allow
knowledge to be co-constructed.
2. The significance of the activity
3. The role of the material used
to mediate the knowledge.
Scaffolding only Occurs
1. The student is able to carry out the task
which they were not able to manage to
do before.
2. Intended to bring the the learner to a
state of competence which will enable
them to complete the task on their own
3. Evidence of greater level of
independent competence achieved.
Homework
 Please read:-
“ Understanding Scaffolding and the ZPD in
Educational Research” – Irina Verenikina
Please Download from my inspire
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