Macro-Scaffolding: Contextual Support for Teacher Learning

A socio-cultural theory of learning places importance on the social and cultural context of the learning as well as the interaction between a more expert other and the learner. Scaffolding at the level of interaction may be defined as micro-scaffolding, and support which can be found in the context of the learning can be referred to as macroscaffolding. This paper reports on research carried out in a pre-service English teacher training context which explored macro-scaffolding. Findings suggest that support at the macro-level includes the shared understanding of accepted practices of the training context in terms of what is considered ‘good’ teaching and the conventions of feedback. One conclusion from this study is that there is a need to recognize and explicitly discuss these norms and practices in order to support the micro-scaffolding at the interactional level.