As an early education teacher, it is crucial for me to have the knowledge on executing the various teaching techniques. At this phase, children are developing fast and are able and adapt well, and hence how my teaching is carried out, will shape them. In order for holistic development to occur, a combination of techniques would have to be employed. Teaching techniques such as encouraging can develop children social-emotionally while techniques like problem-solving can develop children cognitively.

 

As a teacher of 5-year-olds, I understand that the children's thinking is much more matured and through effective teaching, I have the ability to develop their metacognition. Therefore, I believe that the technique of 'scaffolding' would be especially helpful to educators teaching this age group.  

 

When I was at the initial stage of my research, I do have my confusions about scaffolding. However, I soon came to the realization that scaffolding is about making use of various teacher techniques effectively. This emphasizes the importance of 'scaffolding' as a technique as understanding the theoretical underpinning allows educators to enhance their other techniques. 

 

Additionally, since Monarch Preschool, uses the inquiry-based learning (IBL) for their curriculum, educators must know how to utilize scaffolding for an effective inquiry-based learning to occur. IBL approach is a form of active learning that begins with posing questions, problems or scenarios instead of presenting established facts to the children. As teachers of Monarch Preschool, we facilitate children's learning. This is also in alignment with our teaching philosophy where we believe that 'each child is unique, capable and competent' and therefore use the scaffolding technique to allow them to take charge of their own learnings.