Updated: 15th June 2021
Category: Mains
Contributor: Sarah King

What is it?

In a traditional large group / small group curriculum design students can sometimes fail to make the connections between a more theory-based, content-driven lecture and the more active, authentic approaches taken in a small group setting. A scaffolding activity can help to bridge that gap. It could be used for any group size at any level of learning, but the intention is to move beyond transmission (and repetition) of content into the development of academic skills of analysis and problem solving before students apply these skills themselves in small group settings.

Indicative Preparation time: variable
Indicative Cook Time: variable - but expect this to take up a significant part of a session.
Difficulty level: Average / Expert
Groups Size: any size
Learning Type: application

Ingredients

Trigger (a problem-based question to answer)
Assessment criteria / rubric

Method

The design and delivery of this activity will vary dependent on the types of problem-based learning used and disciplinary context. The key to the design is connecting theory and practice.

For first year students the approach might be more transmission-based:

providing students with a problem question
breaking down and working through the problem yourself as a demonstration.

Students with a little more experience might work through a staged approach (in whole or part), supported by the lecturer:

Breaking down the question
- identifying the issues
- drawing on their knowledge and understanding of the relevant topic
- applying knowledge to the problem
- drawing conclusions.
Students could work quietly or with a neighbour at each stage to think through how they would approach it
Compare with your approach.
Plenary are required.

Polling technology could be used to gauge student responses to alternative approaches and decide as a whole group which might work best. This activity allows time to work through these elements in more detail to develop confidence and readiness for small group sessions and assessment.

Additional Considerations

This is an activity that could take place at any point of the module. If students will be assessed using problem-based questions it might be an activity that you run more than once, perhaps using past assessment questions as a basis for the design. It is likely to take up a full (typically one hour) large group session and so thought needs to be given as to where this will have the most impact.

Additional Reading / Information

This activity is based on the principles of John Biggs' SOLO Taxonomy. You can find a brief description of this framework on Biggs' website: https://www.johnbiggs.com.au/academic/solo-taxonomy/

Biggs, J., & Collis, K. (1982). Evaluating the quality of learning: The SOLO taxonomy. New York: Academic Press.

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