My daughter proudly shows off her “calculator” skills as she recently discovered my pocket calculator. I know she knows how to use it as she got the answer right. And I know her answer is right because I know my multiplication.
I remember countless hours and days ( or even months?) spent memorizing the multiplication when I was in Grade 3. It wasn’t easy, especially as I got to bigger numbers to multiply. My mother helped me by making a fun multiplication table that I can take anywhere with me- whenever I’m ready to study, in between breaks from school, playing with my neighbor or while waiting for dinner. My teacher also divided this “challenging” task and made us play a game to check if we are indeed learning the multiplication. For a nine or ten year old learning the multiplication table may seem impossible but my mother and teacher made it possible. Following the social constructivist theory, they were my More Knowledgeable Others (MKOs). The tools and activities helped and guided my young mind to learn an important lesson I will use for a lifetime. At my zone of proximal development my mother and teacher recognize that using my own ability is not enough so they prepared tools and instructional activities for me to learn a valuable skill I needed.
If my mother and teacher did not support and guide my learning and instead just said that I can use calculators for my future multiplication needs I wouldn’t be motivated to learn. They could have just given me a calculator – a tool for multiplication which could help but wouldn’t improve my learning so I can perform the tasks on my own. I see parents exposing their kids using calculators before the kids learn about the concept of addition and subtraction. Yes, calculators can help in addition and subtraction but kids should first understand the concepts. Five year old can understand the concept of addition and subtraction. Though the intentions are good, well meaning parents are giving inappropriate assistance to their kids. Assistance for children should provide scaffolding- break up the learning and give resources, tools, activities that can improve their learning in parts. It is not merely showing the shortcuts.
Constructivist theories offer numerous benefits for learners. Pondering with its different principles, my college algebra and trigonometry experiences could have been less challenging that resulted in more learning. I can only imagine now if I have a MKOs during high school that took the time to build a strong algebra and trigonometry foundation so I have the basic knowledge and skills I would use in college. What could have been the end result if my teacher utilized scaffolding strategies?
As educators, the responsibility is upon us to use all the available resources and tools for our learners. Learnings from this module provided a range of constructivist tools that I can utilize that can significantly impact not only the learners but also my children and peers. I now know the power of being More Knowledgeable Others specially if help is provided at the individual’s Zone of Proximal Development. There are different scaffolding strategies like using visual aids, having a show and tell activity or simply giving the learner time to talk and process new ideas can deliver quality learning experience.
Reference: Alber, Rebecca. 2014. 6 Scaffolding strategies to use with your students. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber
Charry's Teaching Odyssey 