Distributed scaffolding: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:52, 16 October 2019

Revision as of 05:53, 16 October 2019

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Tabak (2004) distinguishes between three different types of scaffolds: differentiated scaffolds, redundant scaffolds, and synergistic scaffolds.

#Differentiated scaffolds refer to cases where "different tools and representations support different needs" (Tabak & KizaKyza, 2018, p. 193). For example, when a group of students are constructing an initial explanation on or formulating their understanding of a phenomenon (e.g., natural selection), these needs may be better met with prompts provided in a simulation environment; on the other hand, when the students present their formal explanations to the whole class, a more directed and dialogic scaffolding provided by the teacher would help them more efficiently in refining their final explanations (Tabak, 2004).

#Redundant scaffolds offer “different means of support that target the same need but are enacted at different points in time in the curriculum to provide titrated levels of support” (Tabak, 2004, p. 307). For instance, when students are expected to justify their decision of choosing one design option rather than another, prompts in a design diary may help initiate some students’ justifications, but not all students'. In this scenario, the students can possibly gain additional opportunity to engage in this reflective process if during the subsequent whole-class discussions their teacher presses them to describe the alternatives they proposed and how they decided among these options (Tabak, 2004).

Through providing redundant supports and resources, the student can use each of the different types of redundant scaffolds until the supports are no longer necessary. By supplying multiple supports in this manner, the task incorporates natural fading into the design (Puntambaker & Kolodner, 2005).

#Synergistic scaffolds are “multiple co-occurring and interacting supports for the same need” (Tabak, 2004, p. 307). This type of distributed scaffold incorporates "different tools or agents that support the same skill in different ways" (Tabak & KizaKyza, 2018, p. 193). For example, when learning to manipulate variables in a virtual experiment, students may find it easier if "the teacher models the thinking while she or he uses the software that the students are using", such as "making appropriate menu selections and explicating his or her rationale for taking these actions" (Tabak, 2004, p. 319).

==References==