Blog 2: Edpsych

In module 7, I learned that scaffolding is when a child needs social support from peers or adults that are on a higher cognitive level then them in order to internalize the informtion for themselves. Scaffolding is directed by the student, not the one teaching them. Teachers need to adjust their teaching style, vocabulary, and pace based upon where the individual child is at cognitively. For example, in my internship, with some of my students I can race through a passage and ask them critical thinkning questions based upon the text. With other students, It takes a few minutes just to get through a paragraph because they need more time to read, pronounce, and comprehend what they are saying. Athough students may be at the same developmental level, they can still be on different ranges in the Zone of Proximal Development. This leads me to ask, how mmuch of an impact does parent support at an early age (and current age) have to do with a child's rate of gaining a higher ZPD?

Internalization is the ultimate goal of scaffolding. I love to see when my students can do things on their own that I have taught them. The pace of internalization ranges from student to student. Sometimes it may feel like a child never fully internalizes what you are trying to explain to them. Patience, positive reinforcement, and high expectations will provide for an environment where that child can release themselves from social scaffolds and gain their own cognitive responsibility for tasks. I question, what methods or styles of teaching can create greeater internalization for students?

#module7 #scaffolding #zpd #internalizationedpsych