Planning
Scaffolding requires planning material to use, determining what should be learned, how to engage students, increase background knowledge, and how to design a task.
Material to Use:
Determine What Should Be Learned:
Engaging Students:
Build Background Knowledge:
Design a Task:
Material to Use:
- Use books and curriculum guides
- Rate the material needed to be covered based on importance
Determine What Should Be Learned:
- Decided on critical concepts to cover
- Align with unit objectives
Engaging Students:
- Set expectations with guidance
- Interest of students
- Create analogies
- Create curiosity
Build Background Knowledge:
- Connect with their lives
- Connect with previously learned content
Design a Task:
- During reading
- After reading
IMPLEMENTATION
Before Reading:
During Reading:
After Reading:
(Moore, D., Moore, S., Cunningham, P., & Cunningham, J., 2011)
- Ask/answer questions
- Preview important parts of the reading
- Writing predictions
- Make sure the group task is clear to students
- Provide students with a visual of the task
During Reading:
- Students can read individually or be paired to share reading
- Use highlighters or sticky notes for important information
- Complete study guide
After Reading:
- Discuss and offer feedback to students
- Complete assessments
- Apply content to related information
- Write about content
(Moore, D., Moore, S., Cunningham, P., & Cunningham, J., 2011)
Teachers cannot simply expect every student to complete a reading assignment without proper guidance, such as scaffolding. Scaffolding is helping the student to break up learning into sections and providing assistance to achieve the best learning outcome possible. First, you need to be aware of each student’s zone of proximal development to provide appropriate guidance during scaffolding. ZPD is the difference between what a student can do by one’s self and what they can achieve with help.
There are multiple ways that teachers can implement scaffolding. Teachers could use modeling to show a think aloud to students on how to complete a task, which would give them a visual and audio guidance. Asking students to share their previous experiences about the concept of study will help them to make a stronger connection and allowing students to talk about the concepts will help them to process the information. Teaching vocabulary before reading is a great scaffolding tool to allow students to learn more about the concept. Students that do not have prior knowledge of vocabulary will not be able to comprehend the text completely. In addition, asking questions is a great scaffolding tool. Teachers can ask students questions to check for understanding and deepen a student’s thought process.
Another aspect of scaffolding is writing. Students can complete graphic organizers and charts to create a deeper understanding of a text. Having a chance to organize newly learned information helps students shape their thinking to grasp the concepts better. Also, writing down what has been learned from a text will provide a great visual for students and provide teachers with information about what students comprehended from the text. Teachers can scaffold writing through interactive feedback and writing strategies.
(Alber, R., 2014)
There are multiple ways that teachers can implement scaffolding. Teachers could use modeling to show a think aloud to students on how to complete a task, which would give them a visual and audio guidance. Asking students to share their previous experiences about the concept of study will help them to make a stronger connection and allowing students to talk about the concepts will help them to process the information. Teaching vocabulary before reading is a great scaffolding tool to allow students to learn more about the concept. Students that do not have prior knowledge of vocabulary will not be able to comprehend the text completely. In addition, asking questions is a great scaffolding tool. Teachers can ask students questions to check for understanding and deepen a student’s thought process.
Another aspect of scaffolding is writing. Students can complete graphic organizers and charts to create a deeper understanding of a text. Having a chance to organize newly learned information helps students shape their thinking to grasp the concepts better. Also, writing down what has been learned from a text will provide a great visual for students and provide teachers with information about what students comprehended from the text. Teachers can scaffold writing through interactive feedback and writing strategies.
(Alber, R., 2014)
Videos
http://www.learner.org/workshops/teachreading35/classrooms/cv6.html
Holly Concannon uses scaffolding in her fifth grade classroom at Richard J. Murphy School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. In the video, Concannon uses scaffolding in her instruction with students by accessing her students' prior knowledge on cause and effect and then building on what they know. She encourages students to think on a deeper level, which creates stronger learning. Concannon taps into her students prior knowledge and allows students to communicate with classmates to deepen thinking. She also gains feedback through questions to assess learning (Annenberg Learner, 2014).
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/middle-school-ela-unit-persuasion
Emily Park-Friend is a teacher from Bruce Randolph School in Denver, CO. She uses questioning as a scaffolding tool in her class to increase student comprehension. Students are engaged in Park-Friend's instruction because the questions are geared towards their zone of proximal development and she can easily assess her students understanding by the answers that she receives (Teaching Channel, 2014).
Holly Concannon uses scaffolding in her fifth grade classroom at Richard J. Murphy School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. In the video, Concannon uses scaffolding in her instruction with students by accessing her students' prior knowledge on cause and effect and then building on what they know. She encourages students to think on a deeper level, which creates stronger learning. Concannon taps into her students prior knowledge and allows students to communicate with classmates to deepen thinking. She also gains feedback through questions to assess learning (Annenberg Learner, 2014).
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/middle-school-ela-unit-persuasion
Emily Park-Friend is a teacher from Bruce Randolph School in Denver, CO. She uses questioning as a scaffolding tool in her class to increase student comprehension. Students are engaged in Park-Friend's instruction because the questions are geared towards their zone of proximal development and she can easily assess her students understanding by the answers that she receives (Teaching Channel, 2014).