Practice 8: Provide Scaffolds for Difficult Tasks
In this third (and final) subsection of Strand 1, participants will investigate and develop knowledge of effective instructional scaffolding to support students as they move to independence.
The classic metaphor used as an example to illustrate scaffolding is the use of training wheels on a child’s bicycle. The training wheels are used as a safety support so that a child can build confidence and the feelings associated with balance. Once confidence is in place, the training wheels are removed, to be replaced by the guiding hand of a parent or guardian. In this timeless example, there are hundreds of accounts where students yell with excitement, “you can take your hands off” as they go speeding down the sidewalk, unknowingly that their guide already has.
Rosenshine (2012) refers to scaffolding as “cognitive apprenticeship,” whereas students learn cognitive strategies from a master teacher (through modeling and explaining); then, the supports are withdrawn, so that students do not become reliant on them (Sherrington, 2019). This is an important process to monitor between the stages of Gradual Release. The most important key to understand is that the supports are temporary! After all, referring back to our metaphor, it would be pretty shocking to see teenagers and adults riding their bikes with the training wheels still attached.
First, to begin processing the use of scaffolds, it is acceptable to understand that any ideas presented in Practice 4: Provide Models can also be used as providing scaffolds. In addition, there are also several additional examples of scaffolding presented by Sherrington (2019) below.
Read through the following scanned pages, from “Rosenshine’s Principles in Action,” by Tom Sherrington (2019). These scanned pages will introduce you to a variety of scaffolding practices…
Complete the linked form (below) by selecting another skill or concept (you know you will teach). Then, with your content in mind, present a brief overview of how you could use each type of scaffolding (i.e. writing frames, exemplars, strategic thinking, and anticipating errors/misconceptions) as an example to assist student learning or the acquisition of that skill or concept. Please be appropriately specific in how you would both implement and also remove the scaffold so that students do not become reliant on it…
In closing, if you are curious about receiving more support on the use of scaffolding, please feel free to browse these additional resources:
Please continue to Strand 2…
