Move 1: Establish A Territory |
There is much interest in
education reform in using technology to support learners.One aspect of the argument for technology has been that --software
can be used to help learners succeed in more complex tasks than they
could otherwise master (Davis& Linn, 2000; Edelson, Gordin, & Pea, 1999; Guzdial,
1994; Quintana, Eng, Carra, Wu,&Soloway,
1999; Reiser et al., 2001).
Researchers have
invoked the notion of scaffolding, a construct crafted to characterize how more experienced peers or adults can assist learners.
(definition of that specific focus called scaffolding).
As defined in
early research, scaffolding is said to occur when a more knowledgeable
person helps a learner succeed in tasks that would be otherwise beyond their
reach (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976). In the last two
decades of learning sciences research, scaffolding has become increasingly prominent.
Scaffolding is a key strategy in cognitive
apprenticeship, in which students can learn by taking increasing
responsibility in complex problem solving with
the guidance of more knowledgeable mentors or teachers
(Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989).
Manydifferent
approaches to scaffolding have emerged from the design research on
interactive learning environments, --and a variety of design guidelines or principles
have been proposed (Edelson et al., 1999; Guzdial, 1994; Kolodner, Owensby, & Guzdial, 2004;
Linn, 2000; Reiser et al., 2001).
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Move 2: Establish A Niche |
To engage in
development and study of design guidelines requires greater clarity concerning what is meant that a tool has
scaffolded learners,
and requires a model of how the tool has benefited
learners.
In particular, it is
important to characterize the mechanisms by which a software tool can provide
scaffolding for learners.
Developing a system
of design guidelines for scaffolded software requires such a model of
mechanisms that explain why a tool reflecting these guidelines would benefit
learners.
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Move 3: Present the Present Work |
In this article, I present an analysis of two mechanisms to characterize how scaffolded tools can support learning.
I describe how these dual mechanisms can address the
challenges learners face.
I develop the
argument for these mechanisms by first considering how tools affect the
experience of tasks for learners.
Then I review some of the critical challenges learners
face in complex domains such as science and mathematics learning.
In describing
each mechanism, I present brief examples of
software environments to illustrate the mechanisms in practice.
Finally, I consider how the mechanisms can interact and
discuss issues of the embedding of tools in classroom contexts.
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