Exploration of Scaffolding Learning - Coursework Example

Scaffolding Introduction The term scaffolding was coined by Jerome Bruner that specialized in cognitive psychology in late 1950s.The term was basically tailored to describe acquisition of oral language to young children. Informal in structural drove scaffolding amongst the children at the time they began to speak with parents playing a vital role in assisting their children. Ninio and Bruner (1978), uses a combined picture-book reading mechanism to showcase the interaction between a learner (Anat Ninio) and his tutor, Bruner. The concept of Lev Vygotsky in which a novice is assisted by an expert takes the center stage in scaffolding learning mechanism (MacNaughton, 2003, p. 165). An older, experienced adult renders his support to a younger learner in order to gain unknown. The term though silenced in the concept of Vygotsky, Jesper Hoffimeyer has made readjustments and terms the concept as semiotic scaffolding. It is coined in a manner to showcase the gains of knowledge attached to interactions between an adult and child culminating into a child executing some promising actions out of his helper’s efforts. The mechanism is characterized by collaborative interaction between learners and their expert for scaffolding activeness to be felt. Another key feature that drives scaffolding is the existence of a platform of Zone of Proximal Development where current’s learners of knowledge is assessed and predetermined and the expert then works to instill more knowledge with the current knowledge endowments forming the foundation. Scaffold forms the other future in which the expert renders support and effective guidelines to the learner as the guidelines and support are eliminated gradually benchmarked against learner’s rate of proficiency acquisition. Scaffolds presents the learners with a platform to internalize the gained knowledge en route to proficiency achievement. Practices in early childhood programs that are supported by Vygotsky’s theory Application of Scaffold Strategy This is focused on the cognitive potential of the learner through variations of support levels. It is a practice embedded on the supportive guidelines rendered to a child by a more knowledgeable person. It presents the learner with a platform to internalize the learned skills at an independent level and hence culminates to knowledge instilment. The instructional guidelines and external support that comes with scaffold package ensure that a child is able to gain beyond his internal efforts. The magnitude of scaffold guidance are reduced based on assessment and evaluation of child potentiality. When the evaluation reveals difficult with respect to specific task, extensive guidance is rendered as a counteractive measure to instill the required knowledge. Potential level of development in the Zone of Proximal Development is maintained by scaffolding. Such strategies as prompts where physical or verbal cues as well as positional strategy assist as reminders to already gained knowledge. Application of Zone of Proximal Development Knowledge acquisition in young children is attached to ZDLP according to Vygotsky. This practice is a two-fold and illustrates a variety of duties a child is attached to in order to complete learning process. On one end, the practice focuses on independent or self-efforts-attached skills of a child termed as lower limit and on the end sets an eye on potential skills endowment attached to a child’s expert or assistant. In a snapshot, this practice entails relationship between children cognitive development capability and learning. Vygotsky thwarted down all the three initial concepts of gestaltism, cointructuivism and behaviorism and asserted that development is preceded by learning and not the other way round as projected by the rejected theories. Instructor’s external assistance is beneficial to a child knowledge gain as it presents a platform where child actual development skill is superseded through such assistance (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008, p. 154). Vygotsky practice advocates for prospective view of cognitive development rather than current retrospective view of self-attached capabilities of a child in knowledge gain. Use of Paraprofessionals This is a phenomenon where assistant to leaning are attached to a particular department to aid in instilling students with knowledge. In this context, paraprofessional is useful as the acquisition of knowledge is peddled by closer interaction between learners and instructors. Paraprofessionals have assisted the learners to transit from initial pedagogical stage to expert stage. In the first step, the learners are supported by paraprofessionals based on guidelines which are gradually withdrawn based on proficiency evaluation outcomes (Smagorinsky, 2007, p. 114). The next step is aided by independently acquired knowledge by the learners based on internalization in the Zone of Proximal Development which results to expert stage. Paraprofessionals are thus employed to offer this repeated instructional interaction between amongst them and the learners in order to help the learners internalize the gained knowledge. Schools in Canada and United States have benefited from this agency principal mechanism where teacher have been mandated to delegate various tasks to a number of Teachers Assistants. Paraprofessionals help teachers in arrange of fields including but not limited to students supervision outside classrooms, assisting teachers in classrooms as well as undertaking administrative teaching guidance with job variety ranging from school library technical assistants, special education teaching aides, classroom aides to tutors (Alber, 2014, p. 122). Such duties assigned to paraprofessional are strictly in line with Zone of Proximal Development as some paraprofessionals have directly assisted students during reading sessions, illustrating how assignment are understood and complimented as well as offering assistance to special needs students. With rapid changes in their roles, paraprofessionals are currently seen in classrooms in remediation as well as being engaged in extracurricular activities. In essence, paraprofessionals are working in conjunction with professionals are not necessarily professionals and have currently required to be highly qualified with United States leaving qualification standards to be determined by each state. Paraprofessionals apply both supportive and directive scaffolding in assisting the learners to internalize the knowledge within the ZPD; supportive scaffolding is used on end as IRF (Initiation-Response-Follow-Up) as well as directive scaffolding which is pegged at IRE (Initiation-Response-Evaluation) (Saxena, 2010, p. 176). With respect to IRE, knowledge transmission is the centerpiece spearheaded by paraprofessionals who then presents a platform to evaluate its appropriateness. Based on the principle of ZPD, the question-answer-assessment is applied to predetermine learner’s proficiency and followed by knowledge transmission based on learners predetermined potentiality. Follow-up is thus essential as supportive scaffolding comes into play in opposition of authoritative creation of discourse as paraprofessionals establish internally persuasive discourse culminating into suspension of institutional managerial power, position and control with symmetry and equality are upheld. The student thus are described as primary knower and sequence initiator hence seen as co-constructor and negotiators of meaningful issues. Conclusion Young children require assistance while engaging in new or proves more difficult tasks. Parents have significantly played vital role in assisting their children learn and acquire valuable knowledge. All these circumvents around scaffolding that has a presented a platform for increased cognitive development amongst young learners and students. Many scaffolding practices have been done by parents without actually realizing. Scaffolding is alluded to use of temporary scaffolds in construction of skyscrapers just as emotional, cognitive as well as social support has been aided by educational scaffolding with respect to children’s knowledge building process. Questions, presenting new challenges based on leaners proficiency as well as observations drives the interaction between learners and their tutors with regard to scaffolding. New emotions, ideas, language are acquired at different levels along knowledge acquisition process strengthens the trusting bonds between children and adults in the scaffolding learning strategy. It is the best way of instilling knowledge amongst young children based on internalization in the Zone of Proximal Development based on the application of various scaffold strategies such as use of modelling, worked examples, prompts, handouts, explanations, concept maps as well as advanced organizers that visually enables the learners to learn by doing and seeing. Paraprofessionals are the driving forces behind the increased application of scaffolding in education that has really benefited the learners culminating into high rates of proficiency. Reference Alber, R. (2014). Teacher Leadership: 6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use with Your Students. Edutopia Consulting Editor. http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/teacher-leadership Driscoll, A., & Nagel, N. G. (2008). Early childhood education, birth-8: The world of children, families, and educators. Harlow: Prentice. MacNaughton, G. (2003). Shaping early childhood: Learners, curriculum and contexts. Maidenhead: Open Univ. Press. Saxena, M. (2010) Reconceptualising teachers’ directive and supportive scaffolding in bilingual classrooms within the neo-Vygotskyan approach. Journal of Applied Linguistics & Professional Practice. Smagorinsky, P. (2007). Vygotsky and the social dynamic of classrooms. English Journal. Read More