Scaffolding: Engaging Children

SCAFFOLDING:
Famous theorist Lev Vygotsky coined the idea of scaffolding. Scaffolding is integral in assisting a child in their learning and development. Wood, Bruner and Ross (1976) define scaffolding as an “adult controlling those elements of the task that are essentially beyond the learner 's capacity, thus permitting him to concentrate upon and complete only those elements that are within his range of competence” (p.90). Basically, this means the educator helping a child to achieve something, first by helping a lot and then progressing allowing the child to take over till they can master whatever it is they are doing themselves.
I will need to use a number of pedagogical strategies to implement curriculum and successful engage children’s

Children learn in different ways – some might be visual learners, some might learn best through verbal instructions and some from physically doing. At first I will be interacting with the children, demonstrating new things, skills and ideas, then I will allow them to try and I can aid physically help them if needed. Eventually, I might just need to verbally remind them or use prompting questions but they will soon be able to engage in all areas of the curriculum without my

In this case a lot of what is planned in the document involves adult – child interactions and situations that allow for teachable moments. Emergent curriculums connects learning with previous experiences and knowledge, includes the interests of children and responds to those interests rather than focusing on narrow topics that may be irrelevant (Mielekamp, 2005). I developed many of my activities based off of my observations, interpretations and interactions with the children. The curriculum is designed to be flexible to meet the ever-changing curiosities and needs of the child. This aspect of the emergent curriculum is beneficial as using children’s interests can serve as a vehicle into other entry points for exploration, learning and development to occur.
Using scaffolding strategies accordingly to activities and experiences, and scaffolding the curriculum into practice in general allow children to gradually develop in all areas of their learning and development at a pace that suits them and with lots of guidance and adult support. Scaffolding gives the educators an opportunity to guide children to the point where they can understand tasks and concepts on their own. When a child can do so, educators rest knowing that the children have learnt