Scaffolding
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) illustrates what the learner can perform with and without the teacher’s help. The teaching framework that aids the learner’s transition from conceptual application with help to application without help is scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978). Likewise, Basu, Sengupta, and Biswas (2014) describe inquiry learning as an agent of scaffolding. As the level of subject difficulty rises, it becomes more important for teachers to identify the collective comfortable pace of fading that their students will most likely succeed in. However, the pace is often either too quick or too slow for the majority of students in the classroom. In being too quick, students become disengaged as they lose confidence due to the difficulty of the concept. In contrast, in being too slow, students can also become disengaged due to the lack of challenge. In other words, the ultimate setback to the default scaffolding framework is that it does not account for diversity.
Likewise, the success of scaffolding relies on the learning situation that is present. Thus, when considering the pace of fading in an activity, teachers should refer to the inquiry learning process in order to incorporate a system in which students self-monitor their own progress. Therefore, in the student-oriented scaffolding framework, all students progress at their own pace and maintain their own engagement (Basu et al, 2014). This allows the teacher to devote his/her effort towards students that need the most help while accounting for the diversity in ability/level. In contrast to adhering the same pace of fading throughout, capable groups are also compelled to further explore the subject regarding 3D trigonometry. The authors describes this framework as one that enables the teacher to effectively apply scaffolding in means that also relate to diversity. In doing so, they also suggest the use of simulation-based learning environments in order to implement the inquiry learning process in this fashion (Basu et al, 2014). In creating simulation-based learning, the teacher allows the students to consider conceptual applications to the real world while effectively using the student-oriented scaffolding concept. Likewise, with considerations to the blood splatter simulation, the author incorporates this idea into the lesson plan through allowing the groups to proceed at their own pace. Likewise, he also eliminates the influence of competiveness in explicitly stating that completion speed will not be rewarded. Rather, points are given primarily for the groups’ accuracy and discussion in their blood splatter analysis. Furthermore, the emphasis on collaboration offsets the difference in group members’ ability levels as higher level members are encouraged to support their lower level peers. Regarding the conceptual comprehension of trigonometry, all groups begin at the first GRR level with the highest level of scaffolding in direct instruction. With the inquiry learning process in mind, groups are allowed to proceed at their own pace through the GRR levels as collaboration increases and scaffolding decreases. Collaboration Carroll, Jiang, and Borge (2014) define successful collaboration as empowering students to fulfill content objectives through problem-based learning. …show more content…
Furthermore, from the perspective of social constructivism, collaboration is seen as not only a valuable opportunity for learning but also as a necessary social engagement that advances students’ cognitive development (Vygotsky, 1978). Vygotsky (1978) describes the teaching of collaborative skills as complementary to problem solving skills. Likewise, for Carroll, Jiang, and Borge (2014), teachers can effectively guide and facilitate the development of these skills through the use of “self-confrontation” activities (activities that rely on continual progress reflection) that allow students to self-evaluate themselves during and after their performance (Carroll et al, 2014, p. 610). This inclusion of reflective-metacognition in designing collaborative activities is effective since it allows students to study their process of thinking in order to develop clear and genuine hypotheses. In observing an Engineering course, the authors collected data that examined the performance of 8 teams in working through a jigsaw-activity. The authors point out that the highest performing team (Blue) showed the highest level of collaboration through chat messages (646). However, the data does not indicate that the number of chat messages alone correlated with performance. On the other hand, this could also indicate that “efficient” collaboration is a factor in performance. For example, with both teams making zero forum posts, the Red team
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) illustrates what the learner can perform with and without the teacher’s help. The teaching framework that aids the learner’s transition from conceptual application with help to application without help is scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978). Likewise, Basu, Sengupta, and Biswas (2014) describe inquiry learning as an agent of scaffolding. As the level of subject difficulty rises, it becomes more important for teachers to identify the collective comfortable pace of fading that their students will most likely succeed in. However, the pace is often either too quick or too slow for the majority of students in the classroom. In being too quick, students become disengaged as they lose confidence due to the difficulty of the concept. In contrast, in being too slow, students can also become disengaged due to the lack of challenge. In other words, the ultimate setback to the default scaffolding framework is that it does not account for diversity.
Likewise, the success of scaffolding relies on the learning situation that is present. Thus, when considering the pace of fading in an activity, teachers should refer to the inquiry learning process in order to incorporate a system in which students self-monitor their own progress. Therefore, in the student-oriented scaffolding framework, all students progress at their own pace and maintain their own engagement (Basu et al, 2014). This allows the teacher to devote his/her effort towards students that need the most help while accounting for the diversity in ability/level. In contrast to adhering the same pace of fading throughout, capable groups are also compelled to further explore the subject regarding 3D trigonometry. The authors describes this framework as one that enables the teacher to effectively apply scaffolding in means that also relate to diversity. In doing so, they also suggest the use of simulation-based learning environments in order to implement the inquiry learning process in this fashion (Basu et al, 2014). In creating simulation-based learning, the teacher allows the students to consider conceptual applications to the real world while effectively using the student-oriented scaffolding concept. Likewise, with considerations to the blood splatter simulation, the author incorporates this idea into the lesson plan through allowing the groups to proceed at their own pace. Likewise, he also eliminates the influence of competiveness in explicitly stating that completion speed will not be rewarded. Rather, points are given primarily for the groups’ accuracy and discussion in their blood splatter analysis. Furthermore, the emphasis on collaboration offsets the difference in group members’ ability levels as higher level members are encouraged to support their lower level peers. Regarding the conceptual comprehension of trigonometry, all groups begin at the first GRR level with the highest level of scaffolding in direct instruction. With the inquiry learning process in mind, groups are allowed to proceed at their own pace through the GRR levels as collaboration increases and scaffolding decreases. Collaboration Carroll, Jiang, and Borge (2014) define successful collaboration as empowering students to fulfill content objectives through problem-based learning. …show more content…
Furthermore, from the perspective of social constructivism, collaboration is seen as not only a valuable opportunity for learning but also as a necessary social engagement that advances students’ cognitive development (Vygotsky, 1978). Vygotsky (1978) describes the teaching of collaborative skills as complementary to problem solving skills. Likewise, for Carroll, Jiang, and Borge (2014), teachers can effectively guide and facilitate the development of these skills through the use of “self-confrontation” activities (activities that rely on continual progress reflection) that allow students to self-evaluate themselves during and after their performance (Carroll et al, 2014, p. 610). This inclusion of reflective-metacognition in designing collaborative activities is effective since it allows students to study their process of thinking in order to develop clear and genuine hypotheses. In observing an Engineering course, the authors collected data that examined the performance of 8 teams in working through a jigsaw-activity. The authors point out that the highest performing team (Blue) showed the highest level of collaboration through chat messages (646). However, the data does not indicate that the number of chat messages alone correlated with performance. On the other hand, this could also indicate that “efficient” collaboration is a factor in performance. For example, with both teams making zero forum posts, the Red team