Activity 3.3: PowerPoint on Social Constructivism

                A concept introduced by Vygotsky is scaffolding, which is when you start from the bottom (the very basic premise) when teaching new concepts, and move upward and more abstractly as the child gains understanding.  This concept is important for teachers, because it gives them guidelines to help the child during the zone of proximal development.  A real-world example of scaffolding can be seen when teaching a child to read.  First, you start with the teaching of single sounds, or phonemes (i.e., aaahh for a).  You then move to more complex sound patterns, called morphemes (i.e., sh or th).  You continue to move up the scaffold, and with each movement you add something new that will help the child learn.  This reminds me of a passage I read from James.  He says:

Next, step by step, connect with these first objects and ideas which you wish to instill.  Associate the new with the old in some natural and telling way, so that the interest, being shed along from point to point, finally suffuses the entire system of objects of thought. (James, p. 48)