Author First name, Last name, Institution

Shoaib Ahmed Malik, Zayed University

ORCID Identifiers

0000-0001-5050-474X

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Cogent Education

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Abstract

© 2017 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. In this paper I intend to illustrate Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and then extend the discussion to scaffolding and its relationship with the ZPD. This is then followed by some concerns raised in literature regarding scaffolding as a concept and as a metaphor which involves analysing the arguments for regarding the role of cultural tools and peers as scaffolds akin to instructors. In consideration of some of the criticisms directed at scaffolding, I introduce the concept of the Two Gradient Model (TGM) which is a descriptive model that attempts to clarify the interaction between the instructor and learner. Furthermore, the TGM also demonstrates the need to differentiate between instructors and cultural tools as scaffolds where the latter should be kept relegated as secondary components in the scaffolding process. Additionally, the TGM also differentiates between instructors and peers whereby the latter do not occupy the same interpersonal dynamics as the former in a pedagogical environment.

ISSN

2331-186X

Publisher

Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Volume

4

Issue

1

First Page

1331533

Disciplines

Education

Keywords

constructivism, development, metaphor, model, scaffolding, Vygotsky, ZPD

Scopus ID

85041108230

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series

Included in

Education Commons

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