Young children gain many of the language, literacy knowledge and skills through informal and naturalistic interactions with the adults because they are biologically and socially geared for that, both to develop oral and written language. Adult-child interactive storybook reading, in particular, is viewed by many experts as one of the most potent and frequent contexts for this incidental language and literacy learning of young children (e.g., Bus, 2001: Teale, 1986, Whitehurst & Lonigan, 1998). It is a context that is meaningful, interesting, and motivating to young children. The adult deliberately encourages and scaffolds the child’s engagement and participation while the child extracts meaning and constructs knowledge. The adult’s involvement is sensitive to the changing needs and contributions of the child, whereas the child’s needs and contributions reflect the adult’s dynamic sensitivities. Scaffolding by the intentional adult to assist children’s progression moves from dependent to independent performance in a particular skill or area of’ knowledge. But, not all adult behaviors or input are scaffolds. For a particular behavior or type of input to be considered a scaffold, it must enable children to work at a higher level of performance than they would be able to do on their own (Bruner, 1978; Vygotsky, 1930/1978, 1934/1986). What this means is that adults need to be sensitive to what an individual child cannot do and then enable the child to do it. Scaffolding is developmentally appropriate if the child is not frustrated and if the adult provides the support needed for the child to be successful. The different types of adult behaviors and input that seem particularly useful in engaging children at high levels of performance and fostering children’s rapid movement from dependent to independent levels of performance include the following:
Distancing scaffolds: it occurs when the adult gradually reduces the amount of support given to the child (e.g: «You are doing this so well!», «Remember, you have done this before.»)
Linguistic scaffolds: linguistic scaffolds are used by the adult to present advanced models of language and literacy that build directly on the child’s level of knowledge or skill. This could perfectly be manifested through open-ended questions (e.g: «What is going to happen next?») or by describing unfamiliar concepts or ideas.
Regulatory scaffolds: adults use regulatory scaffolds to help children understand a specific task or goal and how it applies to a larger goal (e.g.: «Knowing these letters will help you read these words.»)
Structural scaffolds: it refers to aspects of the context in which learning takes place, a context that helps to improve or support children’s learning. Examples of this type of scaffolding could be working through a known and familiar routine, working with motivating and appealing materials or using storybooks.
No better way of summing up this topic than the following passage. What do you think?
In the shade
Or in the sun
Choose a book
That looks like fun.
One that’s old
Or one that’s new.
Make-believe
Or really true.
I’ll read one line
I’ll read two.
You’ll read to me.
I’ll read to you.
Mary Ann Hoberman
Author: María Eugenia Falabella
Tutor TEFL/FOPELE
FUNIBER – Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana