Professor Maggie Gregson is professor of vocational education and research lead in the School of Education at the University of Sunderland. She is also director of the University of Sunderland Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT). Maggie was a key organiser of the ETF Research Conference held in London in July.


(Dunne 2005, p.154.) Following Aristotle (384BC- 322 BC) on the subject of the relationship between theory and practice (abstract and concrete knowledge), I want to argue that theory is not ‘up there’ and practice is not inferior and relegated to ‘down here’. Likewise research is not somewhere ‘over there’, beyond the majority of us and possessed by a privileged few. Theory, research and practice are all


in play in human experience and action. So the work of educational practice, educational theorising and educational research are best developed hand in hand.


And, while in England the term


‘vocational’ still carries second-rate connotations, all of the authors mentioned encourage us to recognise the need for a system of education for all of us that takes the human condition seriously, including the incremental nature of human experience and the development of knowledge. Any divide between the practices of


art, craft and science and the practice of education is, therefore, arbitrary, and any sense of the differing importance of each one, even more so. Sennett (2008, p.65) argues that “in terms of practice there is no art without craft; the idea for a painting is not a painting and the idea for a book is not a book”. For Sennett, the relationship between craft and art is a continuum. It is worth noting, however, how art, craft and science have one after the other broken away from religion, mathematics, philosophy etc., to become independent and self-governing practices. For education the separation is


more recent and considerably more contested, variously finding itself colonised by psychology, sociology, history and philosophy, among others.


Following Biesta (2010), I have come to see education as a discipline in its own right. Biesta points out that psychology can only ask psychological questions of education; sociology can only ask sociological questions of education, and so on. Only education, he argues, can ask educational questions of education. Turning to the question of ‘good’ education, Carr (1995) and Biesta (2010) invite us to reconnect with considerations of the purposes of education. They ask us not only to consider what a practice is but also what makes a practice ‘educational’. Responding to this question involves addressing the issue of what education is for. Carr (1987) points to the moral nature of educational practice by drawing attention to the importance of the internal, moral goods of education and the intrinsic rewards that come from practising education well in the interests of the public good, and to encourage others to do the same.


My educational practice and my practice as a researcher have been crafted over time through problem- finding, problem-solving, dialogue and critique. In examining the fine detail of lived experience I have turned to, and been moved by, the work of those who have represented the human condition in music, art, film and drama in ways which words simply cannot do.


In the end, the question of whether


you think education is a matter of art, craft or science comes down to a number of things. This includes, as we have seen above, questions of purpose, what constitutes a practice, the nature of human reasoning, the historical and social processes through which a practice develops, and the relationship between theory, practice and research.


THEBIG IDEA


By Dr Elizabeth Newton


‘Scaffolding’ in education, often associated with Vygotsky (1978), is a term devised by Wood, Bruner and Ross (1976). Vygotsky contends that learning occurs within a student’s ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ (ZPD). He characterises this as the distance between what a student is capable of independently and the level of achievement they are potentially capable of, with support (scaffolding) from a ‘more knowledgeable other’. This could be from a teacher or peers with greater knowledge or skill. For Vygotsky, learning happens most effectively when scaffolded. This can be achieved in a number of ways: for example, by giving instructions, demonstrating a skill to others, pre-teaching terminology, providing writing frames to facilitate academic literacy, or pairing students for peer support. To avoid learners getting frustrated, learning methodologies and activities should not stretch the student beyond their ZPD: complex concepts or processes must be broken down into easily assimilated parts.


Scaffolding should be individualised, i.e.


tailored to students’ needs as their ability develops. Thus, support becomes less specific, with less instruction offered, until it can be withdrawn altogether and the student can complete a task unaided. This skilful management of support is


the key to effective scaffolding, otherwise there is a risk that students become over- reliant on it. As with a building, scaffolding is intended to be a temporary structure, enabling students to stand alone once removed.


Dr Elizabeth Newton is deputy head of teacher education at Leeds City College


REFERENCES


Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 145-160. • Lipman, M. (2003) Thinking in Education. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. • Sennett, R. (2008) The Craftsman. London: Penguin. • Sennett, R. (2012) Together. London: Penguin.


• Vygotsky, L. S. in Cole, M. et al. (Eds.) (1978) ‘Mind in Society: The development of higher psychological processes’.


• Wood, D., Bruner, J. and Ross, G. (1976) ‘The role of tutoring in problem solving’, The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17(2), 89-100.


inTUITION ISSUE 34 • WINTER 2018 17


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