ABSTRACT
D. McIntyre, D. Pedder and J. Rudduck describe children as ‘expert witnesses’ to their own learning and asserted that their views should be considered as valid in discussing such learning. This chapter describes a research project, based on an assumption drawn from a Vygotskian theory of learning, that learning is socially constructed and that deliberately seeking children’s views about their learning and engaging with these views can enable teachers. It discusses both the More Knowing Other (MKO) (direct scaffolding) and cultural artefacts (indirect scaffolding) were used in the research project. Typically the first step for a student teacher is to plan a lesson and then teach it. During the teaching a mentor will observe the student teacher and provide them with feedback afterwards. The embedding of children’s voice as part of the learning process enabled reciprocal learning between the student teacher and the children, which allowed shared meanings about the children’s learning to develop.
