Essay about Assignment One EDE 3103 - 2096 Words

Teacher presence is an important facet of all areas of curriculum. Quality interactions between teacher and child form the foundation for a successful and effective early childhood program. This essay will discuss the use of scaffolding as one of the strategies of intentional teaching, and its importance in facilitating children’s play. It will explore various theories relating to scaffolding and show clear links between these theorists and how they view the teacher as an integral part of learning. It will go on to explore the term ‘Intentional Teaching’ and discuss its benefits in the early childhood context. Furthermore, it will show that a positive teacher presence improves learning outcomes for children. Scaffolding is a strategy†¦show more content†¦The interactions between teacher and child during scaffolding help to extend the child’s interest and curiosity, Dewey (cited in Turner, 2011) believes ‘curiosity drives learning’ and placed a great emphasis on interaction. So you can see that teacher presence and the role of the teacher, in each theorist’s view can be very different. The interactions between teacher and child will vary depending on the view the teacher takes. According to Dockett Fleer (1999) teachers may scaffold children’s play in relation to their theoretical understanding of play. If a teacher followed a Piagetian view, they may scaffold play by the provision of an environment that encourages children to play with what they know (Dockett Fleer, 1999). If the teacher had a social Constructivist perspective the teacher would promote challenge and complexity through scaffolding (Dockett Fleer, 1999). Each theorist’s view of the role of the teacher is very different; however they all agree that the teacher plays an integral part in the learning environment. Learning cannot be separated from its social context, Vygotsyy’s view that ‘Learning is enhanced when children interact with others who assist and support them in the learning process’ (Fraser 2002) is central to this social learning. According to Docket and Fleer (1999) Teachers taking Vygotsy’s view will plan their curriculum so that it extends children’s knowledge and