Abstract:

The poster presents the results of the first phase of research focused on the area of supporting learning of lower secondary school pupils in Czech primary schools in the Moravian-Silesian region through educational resources. We are interested in how structural components of textbooks and other teaching and learning materials can stimulate pupils' learning. The research addresses the question: What scaffolding do Czech textbooks used in Biology classes provide to pupils in lower secondary school and what scaffolding elements can we identify in them? The sociocultural framework of learning and the concept of scaffolding became the theoretical starting points (van de Pol et al., 2012; Jumaat & Zaidatun, 2014; Horsley, 2015). The first part of the research resulted in the development of a typology of scaffolding elements in Biology textbooks with regard to its type, means and purpose. By analyzing textbooks, we identify whether the outcomes presented in a Biology textbook focus on the cognitive, metacognitive, or affective aspects of learning. We are also interested in the means by which knowledge and skills are constructed (feedback, explaining, questioning, giving hints, instructing, modelling, orientation). The challenge for further investigation will then be to verify how students actually engage with specific structural elements of the textbook and whether these elements actually provide them with learning support.

Keywords:

Textbook, scaffolding, learning support.