Children, on-line learning and authentic teaching skills in primary education

    Teaching

 

 

          

 

 

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About Teaching

Teaching involves the use of a pedagogy in which the teacher provides two major contributions:

  • scaffolding: informing the learner's actions/activities
  • mediation: reflecting on and making meaning from the learner's experiences

 

teaching as scaffolding & mediating (overview)

 

Explicit teaching

Teaching supports learning in different contexts. Explicit teaching provides specific scaffolding for the learning of particular knowledge. Mediation is provided in this context as required. 

 

Teaching as facilitation

At the other end of the teaching spectrum is facilitation of open-ended learning tasks. The balance between scaffolding and mediation in this context depends on the respective value placed on the products, experiences and knowledge (learning) involved. 

 

Negotiated study 

A negotiated study may be placed at various points along the teaching spectrum depending on what is being 'negotiated': product, experience and/or knowledge.

 

Behaviour Management

Scaffolding of behaviour includes rules, agreements, contracts, coaching, prompts, visual measures such as signals, consequences as implemented by the school or teacher, eg, time-out, suspension. Mediation of behaviour includes conferencing, feedback, improved awareness of the implications including formal and natural consequences.

 

Illustrations

The following images 'illustrate' the nature of scaffolding and mediation in learning to dance and (in the second image) learning to develop meaning from the experience of dancing. 

 

 

Scaffolding

Scaffolding and/or Mediation

 

Friends dancing and considering life

 

In more abstract form

In a more elaborate form the following model may be helpful: consider the above in terms of the following process outline

 

teaching as scaffolding & mediation of learning

 

Teaching with ICT

Technology of all kinds is used to scaffold activity. Since information and communication are fundamental to scaffolding and mediating learning, ICT can be used to scaffold some aspects of learning activities. In particular see 

 

Mediation generally requires some interaction/communication with another party in order to provide enlightening responses to existing knowledge, activity, experiences and products. The communication aspect of ICT may provide the means for mediation is a wide range of circumstances. See teaching processes and teaching online

 

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