Teach Essentials - Module 6 Pedagogical Practice

Determining the right level and type of challenge to help learners grow to meet their potential is critical when differentiating learning. In this Pedagogical Practices
discussion, you think about the kinds of support that will challenge learners to stretch their learning as they master new ideas and concepts.

Many learners have difficulty transitioning from their role in a "traditional" classroom—one that focuses primarily on taking tests, answering closed questions, completing worksheets, and taking a more passive role in learning—to a classroom that promotes open-ended questions and authentic tasks. "Learners who have grown used to being tacit observers or 'sleepy onlookers' may well resent having to work harder, especially when such passive learning roles are the norm in other subjects" (Black & Wiliam, 1998).

Research in learning shows that learners learn best when teachers provide facilitation in skills, content, and strategies learners need to perform tasks that they can not complete without the help of a more knowledgeable peer or adult. Lev Vygotsky (1978), the progressive Russian educator and thinker, defined an area in which a learner has trouble solving a problem alone, but can succeed with guidance, as the “zone of proximal development.” This zone is just beyond a learner’s current capacity. “Scaffolding” is a term first coined by Jerome Bruner (1976) based on Vygotsky’s concept of the “zone of proximal development.” Scaffolding is used frequently by educators to describe the tools that teachers provide to learners to help them be successful in tasks that challenge them.
This metaphor is especially apt for learning because, as in the construction of buildings, the scaffolding that supports learner learning is removed gradually, until the learner can complete challenging tasks independently.

In project-based classrooms, teachers provide facilitation in the strategies learners need for success rather than oversimplifying tasks. The idea is to assist without denying learners’ needs to build their own foundation. Finding that zone in which learners can make the most progress is challenging. Learners’ language skills—their ability to read, write, and express themselves—can sometimes lag behind their knowledge in academic areas, leaving teachers with an impression that they are less able than they truly are. Other factors, such as a lack of social skills, can also distort the kind of information teachers collect about their learners’ learning.

A group of educational researchers (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1987; Langer & Applebee, 1986) suggest the following strategies for scaffolding learners’ thinking as they work on meaningful tasks:

With a small group, share tools and strategies you can use to support learning in your project.

Optional: For additional information on developing self-directed learners, visit the Intel Assessing Projects resource.