Scaffolding in complex modelling situations

The implementation of teacher-independent realistic modelling processes is an ambitious educational activity with many unsolved problems so far. Amongst others, there hardly exists any empirical knowledge about efficient ways of possible teacher support with students’ activities, which should be mainly independent from the teacher. The research study presented in this paper uses scaffolding as a theoretical framework and investigates which kinds of scaffolding and intervention activities by pre-service teachers working as tutors are adequate to promote independent students’ modelling activities. The activities of these tutors were analysed while they were supporting students working on complex, realistic, authentic modelling problems over three days. The tutors were trained beforehand in pre-service teacher seminars. In total 45 students and 10 tutors took part in the study. The scaffolding approach was implemented, amongst others, based on the idea of strategic assistance. The whole process was videotaped (160 h in total) and analysed in search for successful and unsuccessful teacher interventions (in total 238 interventions were analysed). Furthermore, examples of scaffolding means are presented mainly based on observed interventions. In addition, further examples of scaffolding means were identified based on observed problems during the modelling days. Only a few general support means could be identified. However, more context- and task-based scaffolding means could be reconstructed stemming amongst others from problem solving heuristics.