Hulme_Transitions Hub

them, by talking to you about driving while you observe them. Later, you start to drive yourself, but your instructor is likely to set basic tasks, initially in a safe environment, and will always be ready to take over via the dual controls on the car if they think you might be in danger. Over time, you take more responsibility and need less support and guidance. Finally, your instructor enters you for your driving test, and, if successful, you can begin to drive independently, without the need to be accompanied. The zone of proximal development This example gives a useful insight into the role of scaffolding for learning in several ways. Firstly, as with the child described above, you are learning from a more experienced person. Note that the experienced person does not start by teaching you everything they know in the first lesson. First, they provide you with some basic concepts, and let you practice in a safe environment. As you master the basic tasks, they provide you with a little more information, or a more challenging context, stretching you a little more each time, until you master the whole skill set. Scaffolded learning works by helping you to take small steps, progressing a little at a time, until you become confident in your skills and knowledge. Vygotsky termed this the “zone of proximal development”; in other words, the learner learns best when the experienced instructor or guide encourages them to work at a level just a little more challenging than they cope with independently. As the learner’s skills improve, the zone of proximal development extends a little, and a good guide makes the task a little harder still, so that gradually the learner practices all of the skills required to complete the task fully independently. It is worth noting, too, that if the instructor or guide makes the task too easy, then the learner will become bored, and is likely to disengage from the task, whereas if the task is too difficult, then the learner will find it stressful, and may lack the confidence and motivation to attempt it, even with help. Peer learning Consistent with social learning theory, and the idea that we learn best when our learning is scaffolded by a more experienced other, peer learning has been shown consistently to improve student learning within universities. Peer learning can take a variety of forms, including peer mentoring, problem-based learning, and small group learning which can be formally arranged by the tutor or be informally arranged by students themselves. According to Professor David Boud (2001), an international scholar of student learning in higher education, and his colleagues, as well as supporting subject learning, peer learning helps to develop a range of study skills, including critical thinking, information searching, persistence on task, and the ability to transfer learning from one context to another. You’ll notice, I’m sure, that these are some of the skills that are associated with deep learning approaches, as we discovered above. These sorts of findings have been reported consistently throughout the literature on peer learning over many years. In part, peer learning is thought to work because peers provide each other with motivation and with feedback on the learning process, which helps students to develop their higher level thinking around the topic. More recently, a US study found that students who participated in peer learning schemes scored significantly higher on psychological measures of wellbeing, as well as experiencing enhanced learning (Hanson, Trolian, Paulsen & Pascarella, 2016). All of the evidence suggests that learning with your peers will help your individual learning, so if you want to apply psychology to improve your own learning, consider working with your friends as part of a study group, and joining in with group-based class activities as much as possible. Make sure you structure your study sessions if you are organising this independently of your tutor though; plan your activities, and make sure everyone is on task, to avoid distracting each other. Together, you will

© Oxford University Press, 2020