Studies have documented the significance of scaffolding as a sociocultural theory driven type of assistance for the development of English as foreign language (EFL) learners’ language skills in ...general; however, the comparative efficacy of various cognitive and/or metacognitive scaffolding procedures for EFL learners’ listening comprehension development and progress has received scant attention. As a partial attempt in this regard, this study investigated the comparative efficacy of cognitive and metacognitive scaffolding strategies for EFL learners’ listening comprehension development. For this purpose, 90 intermediate level EFL learners aged 15 to 20 were selected to participate in this study. The participants’ actual proficiency level was assessed using a sample TOEFL Junior Standard test and relatively homogeneous classes of nearly 15 learners were formed and randomly assigned to two experimental conditions and a control one. The listening section of TOEFL Junior standard test was used as the pre- and posttest. While the learners in both experimental conditions worked in groups of three or four learners on some listening comprehension tasks, the participants of the first experimental condition received cognitive scaffolding strategies, and the second experimental group members were treated using metacognitive scaffolding strategies, the control group members received teacher-fronted non-scaffolding instruction. In addition to a listening comprehension posttest, a semi-structured interview was given to a number of participants of each experimental condition to explore their attitudes towards given scaffolding strategies. The analyses verified that metacognitive scaffolding strategies had a significant superior effect on EFL learners’ listening development compared to cognitive scaffolding strategies and non-scaffolding instruction. Furthermore, the analyses revealed that the EFL learners were generally more pleased with the metacognitive scaffolding procedures and viewed them as instructive, innovative, and effective for finding problems, better comprehension and increased readiness.
The purpose of this article is to analyse the mathematic lessons of two primary school teachers from two different sociolinguistic contexts. The study analyses the didactic interactions that emerge ...when combing language and mathematics, and how each type of interaction contributes to the collective construction of knowledge. Along with this, when working on mathematic activities, difficulties that teachers and students have to confront have emerged in each sociolinguistic context, and the scaffolding strategies applied by each teacher have been analysed.
Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) has made a massive entry in science education classes. Students work with their competence development through inquiry. Such an approach calls for new ...strategies from the teachers to help students learn through inquiry. This study takes a descriptive approach to teachers’ understanding and usage of such strategies. Through classroom observations, video analysis, and teacher interviews, three cases are identified to hold teacher practice against a theoretical framework on scaffolding strategies where focus is on the means and intentions of scaffolding. The findings show that teachers use different scaffolding strategies according to the students’ level of inquiry understanding, and that scaffolding takes place in short sequences, but the findings also show that the teachers themselves are not aware of such differentiated usage of strategies. This calls for a both better understanding of teachers’ usage of scaffolding strategies and for professional development in being aware of how to use such strategies for best practice with students.
Although visual aids are widely considered a valuable source of scaffolding, the nature and active utilization of these aids in current science classrooms are not well understood. This qualitative ...study explores interaction in the teaching of concepts related to evolution, with a specific focus on a teacher's use of different visual support material. Based on a classroom study in a linguistically diverse Grade 4 classroom, we employed the perspective of discourse‐bridging interaction to develop three broad categories of interactional examples, which we related to three kinds of visual support material used in the instruction: generic visual support images, naturalistic images, and disciplinary images showing examples of natural selection. The findings show that the interaction moved in and out of science discourse in a way that reflected the images' properties. A generic visual support image illustrated the concept of “adaption” as puzzle pieces fitting together, which promoted everyday and anthropomorphic examples of animals and people striving to fit in. When the teacher used naturalistic images, the discourse shifted between a range of perspectives, while visual aids and whiteboard drawings showing the classic examples of giraffes evolving (a disciplinary image) were employed to clarify the notion of natural selection. We discuss the study's implications for using visual support material in a planned way that supports disciplinary understanding.
Social distancing due to COVID-19 has necessitated the immediate implementation of Internet-based English language teaching (ELT) in developing countries. This abrupt transition from face-to-face to ...online learning and teaching environment has brought up many concerns, particularly about maintaining ELT education in crises, one of which is how teachers scaffold students in Internet-based classrooms. Although there is an extensive body of research devoted to scaffolding students’ learning in face-to-face ELT classes, effective teachers’ scaffolding strategies in online classes are still worth receiving further scholarly attention. Therefore, this article reviews contemporary research on scaffolding strategies for teachers to apply in their Internet-based ELT classes. After discussing the inherent difference between scaffolding and support, and the relationship of scaffolding, support, and linguistic competence, the author synthesizes and systemizes scaffolding functions, intentions, and strategies applicable to the Internet-based English class. The author also suggests practical recommendations that teachers can utilize to scaffold students in differential teaching and learning contexts on the Internet. Finally, this article addresses some common challenges and suggests solutions for teachers to conduct scaffolding strategies effectively in Internet-based ELT classrooms.
Failure of tissues and organs resulting from degenerative diseases or trauma has caused huge economic and health concerns around the world. Tissue engineering represents the only possibility to ...revert this scenario owing to its potential to regenerate or replace damaged tissues and organs. In a regeneration strategy, biomaterials play a key role promoting new tissue formation by providing adequate space for cell accommodation and appropriate biochemical and biophysical cues to support cell proliferation and differentiation. Among other physical cues, the architectural features of the biomaterial as a kind of instructive stimuli can influence cellular behaviors and guide cells towards a specific tissue organization. Thus, the optimization of biomaterial micro/nano architecture, through different manufacturing techniques, is a crucial strategy for a successful regenerative therapy. Over the last decades, many micro/nanostructured biomaterials have been developed to mimic the defined structure of ECM of various soft and hard tissues. This review intends to provide an overview of the relevant studies on micro/nanostructured scaffolds created for soft and hard tissue regeneration and highlights their biological effects, with a particular focus on striated muscle, cartilage, and bone tissue engineering applications.
Muntlig veiledning i skriving kan være krevende for lærere siden skrivesituasjoner er komplekse, og læreren har liten mulighet til å reflektere rundt og omformulere det som blir sagt. Denne studien ...undersøker to læreres veiledning i oppstarten av skrivesituasjoner på barnetrinnet. Elevene på 3. trinn skriver fortellinger og har fått relativt frie oppgaver. Det viser seg at det er utfordrende for noen elever å bruke fantasien for å generere idéer, de vet ikke hva de skal skrive om. Studien undersøker de to lærernes veiledning i disse situasjonene. Den bygger på teori om stillasbygging og diskuterer på hvilken måte lærernes veiledning kan forstås som en del av en stillasbyggingsprosess. Artikkelen bygger på videoobservasjon av de to lærernes undervisning, og utdrag fra oppstartssituasjoner blir analysert med utgangspunkt i fem ulike stillasbyggingsstrategier: tilbakemelding, hint, instruksjoner/forklaringer, modellering og spørsmål. Resultatene viser at lærerne bruker ulike stillasbyggingsteknikker og i ulik grad. De stiller mange spørsmål for at elevene skal få idéer, og spørsmålene har svært ulike funksjoner. Den ene læreren stiller spørsmål for å redusere elevenes valgmuligheter, mens den andre læreren modellerer mange idéer for å vise elevene at det finnes flere muligheter. Artikkelen bidrar med kunnskap om hvordan lærere veileder elever i skriving før det finnes tekst å veilede på. En studie som denne kan gi økt bevissthet rundt det komplekse i skriveveiledning. Læreren må ha klart for seg enkeltelevenes behov eller utfordringer. Hun trenger også fagdidaktisk kunnskap som må sitte i ryggmargen, fordi det er liten tid til å tenke seg om.
Nøkkelord: skriveopplæring, skriveveiledning, stillasbygging, stillasbyggingsstrategier, barnetrinnet
«I don’t know what to write about!» - Teachers’ scaffolding in the start-up of writing situations
AbstractOral guidance in writing may be demanding for teachers since writing situations are complex, and the teacher has little opportunity to reflect on and rephrase what is being said. This study examines two teachers’ scaffolding in the start-up of writing situations at the primary level. The pupils in 3rd grade are writing stories based on relatively free tasks. It turns out that it is challenging for some pupils to use their imagination to generate ideas, they do not know what to write about. The study examines two teachers’ scaffolding in these situations. The backdrop is scaffolding theory, and the discussion revolves around how teachers’ help can be understood as part of a scaffolding process. The article builds on video observations of the two teachers’ teaching, and excerpts from start-up situations are analyzed based on five different scaffolding strategies: feedback, hints, instructions/explanations, modeling and questioning. The results indicate the use of different scaffolding strategies to varying degrees. The teachers ask many questions which have different functions. One of the teachers asks questions to reduce the pupils’ options, while the other teacher models many ideas to show pupils that there are many opportunities. The article contributes with knowledge about teachers’ writing instruction before a text is written. This study might give increased awareness about the complexity of scaffolding in writing. The teacher has to know the individual pupil’s needs and challenges. She also needs pedagogical content knowledge, as there is little time to think and reflect in these situations.
Keywords: writing, writing instruction, scaffolding, scaffolding strategies, primary school
The abundant scientific resources on the Web provide great opportunities for students to expand their science learning, yet easy access to information does not ensure learning. Prior research has ...found that middle school students tend to read Web‐based scientific resources in a shallow, superficial manner. A software tool was designed to support middle school students in reading online scientific resources through three key strategies: making explicit a skim–read–summarize structure for online reading, using prompts to guide students' reading and foster articulation of thinking, and connecting reading to learning purposes. This study examined the differences between regular and guided online reading performed by eight pairs of sixth graders in a science inquiry project. The students' online reading processes and conversations were captured by a screen‐recording programme. Analysis of 60 h of screen videos showed that the students' online reading in the regular condition was cursory, fragmented, and opportunistic, while the structured online reading was more deliberate, thorough, and purposeful. Overall, the results suggest that middle school students' online reading of scientific resources needs to be guided.
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