Define the term instructional scaffolding.

According to Benson (1997) scaffolding is a bridge which is used to build upon what

students already know to arrive at something they do not know. Benson suggests that once

scaffolding is properly administered, it acts as an enabler and not a disabler. Lev Vygotsky (1978

p.86 ) states “the zone of proximal development is the distance between the actual

developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential

development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration

with capable peers”.

Explain the component parts in the process involved in providing instructional scaffolding.
Wood, Bruner and Ross (1976) states that scaffolding was developed as a metaphor in

order to describe the assistance given by a teacher (more knowledgeable other or MKO) or peer

to support learning. The teacher assists the student in mastering a task that he/she cannot do

independently by offering assistance in developing student skills beyond their capability. This is

the contingency process as the teacher supports a student or group of students. Along the way the

student will encounter errors and the teacher (MKO) guides and provides feedback and

prompting in order for the student to achieve his/her goals ( Larkin, 2002). Once the student

attains mastery of the task the teacher initiates the “fading” process by the slow removal of the

scaffold which enables the student to now work independently. The third process of transfer of

responsibility begins dealing with the students cognitive or metacognitive activities increases and

they take control of their learning.

Construct a flow chart to show how you would use a specific set of instructional scaffolds to
teach a named major concept/skill and explain the process depicted in the flow chart.

Figure 1-A Flow chart highlighting scaffolding techniques used in a lesson on Stock
Valuation the practical application of AVCO, Average cost method
 The first stage is the Contingency stage where the teacher will orally ask students if they

know how to calculate Average cost based on readings. Students who indicated yes proceed to

read a given handout and students who say no proceed to look at a video. After the video and

reading an online quiz is given to test understanding and to determine the appropriate scaffolding

techniques required to teach the class. The methods chosen were think aloud, modelling, I DO WE

DO YOU DO and demonstrations. After this to begin the fading process group work was done.

For the transfer of responsibility the students were asked to do an individual exam.

References:-

Beishuizen, J. Volman, M. and Anneke van de Pol (2010). Scaffolding in Teacher–Student

Interaction: A Decade of Research.
Lipscomb, A. Swanson, J. & West, A. (2010) Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and
Technology, Global Text, Michael Orey. Chapter
21. https://textbookequity.org/Textbooks/Orey_Emergin_Perspectives_Learning.pdf (CC
BY)