Paul's E-Portfolio

Best practice tends to emphasise scaffolding for students, keeping things clear and simple. However at what stage is this damaging? In lessons that I have taught I have been providing resources - worksheets, code skeletons etc - on a network share in the same folder for each lesson. Each lesson the expectation is that I will demonstrate and state where the information is at least three times. Is this developing learned helplessness?

Vygotsky's concept of the Zone of Proximinal Development (ZPD) makes it clear that students learn best when confronted with tasks or expectations that are not easily achieved but still able to be achieved. One of the things I hope my teaching does is teach self-reliance and the ability to take responsibility for their own learning, Continual support around class room flow where a norm has been established, undermines this self-reliance and sense of responsibility. Where the simplest things are continually handed to the student on a plate an expectation will develop that they will continue to be spoon fed and the skills required to self manage will either atrophy or never develop. This underlies much of the shock going into the work situation or into tertiary study.

Rather a line needs to be drawn in the sand in which we cease to teach location and simply say the resources are in the usual place. Some students will then need further instruction but eventually the students will take responsibility for knowing where and finding the resources.