Vygotsky describes the adult’s role in guiding development.

a. Closely observe a teacher using scaffolding with a young child. Record the age of the child in years and months. Write down as much actual dialogue from the interaction as you can. Hypothesize about both the child’s and the adult’s comfort levels during the experience. Did the scaffolding result in the learning that the adult expected? Why or why not? Compare your findings with text material regarding Vygotsky’s ideas.

b. Interview a teacher about the use of scaffolding with young children. Does the teacher use similar or different techniques with children of different ages? Why or why not? How does the teacher know when the scaffolding has been successful or unsuccessful? Compare your findings from the interview with text material regarding Vygotsky’s ideas.