Month: June 2018

“Scaffolding Through Blended Learning For Effective Learner Engagement” – Part 2

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Blended learning involves learning face-to-face in the classroom, with a teacher present, combined with delivery of content and instruction via digital and online media. While students still attend ‘brick-and-mortar’ schools with a teacher present, face-to-face classroom methods are combined with computer-mediated activities. Blended learning can be used to provide scaffolding to keep the learners engaged and improve the effectiveness of the teaching learning process.

Scaffolding is the temporary support structure used in construction work to support workers. Similarly, scaffolding in education provides support structures to assist students in accomplishing new tasks and grasping concepts that they would find difficult on their own.

Teachers often use scaffolding in their teaching by creating successive levels of temporary support that help students reach higher levels of comprehension and skill acquisition that they would not be able to achieve without assistance.

Like physical scaffolding, the supportive strategies are incrementally removed when they are no longer needed.

Points worth considering:

  • Scaffolding is an important tool of effective teaching.
  • Scaffolding through blended learning reduces the time lag between completion of a task by learners and feedback given by teacher.
  • Scaffolding through blended learning improves learning of the learners.
  • Scaffolding through blended learning improves the quality of interaction between teacher and learners.
  • Although preparation time increases for the teacher, it does not become a big burden as many of the pitfalls of classroom instruction, such as lack of understanding by the learners becoming evident after formal tests are assessed, frustration for both teacher and learner regarding non-submission of homework, etc.) were avoided.
  • Today’s learners are generally tech-savvy and prefer using electronic gadgets. Blended learning appeals to them as they can gain access through their Smart phones, Tablets, laptops or desktops. So there is voluntary engagement in the learning process which helps in effective learner engagement.

 

References

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“Scaffolding Through Blended Learning For Effective Learner Engagement” – Part 1

/ lathateacherblog / Leave a comment

Introduction

Blended learning involves learning face-to-face in the classroom, with a teacher present, combined with delivery of content and instruction via digital and online media, with some element of student control over time, place, path or pace of learning. While students still attend ‘brick-and-mortar’ schools with a teacher present, face-to-face classroom methods are combined with computer-mediated activities. Blended learning can be used to provide scaffolding to keep the learners engaged and improve the effectiveness of the teaching learning process.

 Scaffolding in education

Scaffolding is the temporary support structure used in construction work to support workers. Similarly, scaffolding in education provides support structures to assist students in accomplishing new tasks and grasping concepts that they would find difficult on their own. The term ‘scaffolding’ was coined by Bruner[1], as a metaphor to describe the type of assistance offered by a teacher or more competent peer to support learning. In education, scaffolding refers to a variety of instructional techniques used to move students progressively toward stronger understanding and greater independence in the learning process.

Teachers often use scaffolding[2] in their teaching by creating successive levels of temporary support that help students reach higher levels of comprehension and skill acquisition that they would not be able to achieve without assistance.

Like physical scaffolding, the supportive strategies are incrementally removed when they are no longer needed. Once students complete or master the task, the scaffolding is removed and the responsibility of learning devolves entirely upon the student.

Instructional Scaffolding

Instruction scaffolding provides for a supportive learning environment, wherein students are free to ask questions, provide feedback and support their peers in learning new material. When instructional scaffolding is incorporated in the classroom, the teachers become mentors and facilitators of knowledge rather than dominant content experts. This teaching style encourages students to take the responsibility of learning and move beyond their current skill and knowledge levels. Although scaffolding is often carried out between the instructor and one student, scaffolds can successfully be used for an entire class.

 

[1]Jerome Seymour Bruner (October 1, 1915 – June 5, 2016) was an American psychologist who made significant contributions to human cognitive psychology and cognitive learning theory in educational psychology.

 

[2] According to Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development theory (1978), when a student is at the ZPD for a particular task, providing the appropriate guidance (scaffolding) will give the student enough of a “boost” to achieve the task.

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References