SCAFFOLDING KNOWLEDGE SCAFFOLDING ASSISTANCE SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY Building on what students already know (you have to find out what they know to do this) 3 KINDS OF SCAFFOLDING Gradually shifting responsibility of mediation (thinking process that direct the use of skills & strategies) onto the student Gradually increasing sophistication of strategy being learned Gradually increasing difficulty of practice materials

So what’s wrong with this picture? Teacher finishes a unit on photosynthesis Students take unit test. Teacher records grades in record book Teacher begins new unit on weather cycle by explaining the process of evaporation 1.The teacher moved on through curriculum regardless of whether students demonstrated mastery of key ideas Sample scenario … 2. The teacher failed to find out what students already knew about the weather cycle, as well as the misconceptions of it they may have Should have used to results of the unit test to determine what to teach next

So what’s wrong with this picture? Teacher finishes a unit on photosynthesis Students take unit test. Teacher records grades in record book Teacher begins new unit on weather cycle by explaining the process of evaporation 1.The teacher moved on through curriculum regardless of whether students demonstrated mastery of key ideas Sample scenario … 2. The teacher failed to find out what students already knew about the weather cycle, as well as the misconceptions of it they may have Effective instruction scaffolds or builds on what students already know SCAFFOLDING KNOWLEDGE

Effective instruction scaffolds or builds on what students already know SCAFFOLDING KNOWLEDGE

Good skill instruction uses scaffolded assistance So what’s wrong with this picture? Model use of a graphic organizer for students Give the assignment & ask them to construct a graphic organizer Help students who seem to be struggling Another sample scenario …

Good skill instruction uses scaffolded assistance So what’s wrong with this picture? Model use of a graphic organizer for students Give the assignment & ask them to construct a graphic organizer Help students who seem to be struggling Another sample scenario … SCAFFOLDING ASSISTANCE

I DO IT WE DO IT Y’ALL DO IT YOU DO IT SCAFFOLDING ASSISTANCE

I DO IT WE DO IT Y’ALL DO IT YOU DO IT SCAFFOLDING ASSISTANCE

SCAFFOLDING ASSISTANCE using new think-sheets I DO IT Provide students with a completed think-sheet about the lesson, & guide them through it as ideas noted on it are explained Usually requires doing it this way only once or twice Never really stop using this approach, use at least different 5 times before incorporating “Y’all do it” activities Never really stop using this approach, use at least different 5 times before incorporating “You do it” activities WE DO IT Provide students with a blank think-sheet; as the lesson unfolds, teacher and class together decide what important ideas should be noted on it and where Y’ALL DO IT Provide activities where students work in small groups or pairs to complete a think-sheet about the lesson topic Y’OU DO IT Provide think-sheet assignments must complete independently

I DO IT YOU DO IT A common mistake I’ve made many times … Show students how to do something Try to get students to do it SCAFFOLDING ASSISTANCE Students who struggled when I taught this way were considered less intelligent

I DO IT WE DO IT Y’ALL DO IT YOU DO IT Try to get students to do it Show students how to do something STOP What I should have been doing is … A common mistake I’ve made many times … SCAFFOLDING ASSISTANCE

SCAFFOLDING simplecomplex The following examples show how scaffolding complexity looks when using think-sheets The goal is to begin by using a think-sheet that is relatively easy for students to learn to use … … and then eventually enable the student to use highly sophisticated versions SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Simple SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Simple Slightly more complex SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Simple Slightly more complex SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Simple Slightly more complex Main idea More sophisticated SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Simple Slightly more complex Much more sophisticated Main idea More sophisticated SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Good concept instruction is recursively scaffolded New concept is introduced at a simple level Example … Plants make their own food using sunlight and water. SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Plants make their own food using sunlight and water. Photosynthesis: New concept is revisited with a new layer of information Good concept instruction is recursively scaffolded SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Plants make their own food using sunlight and water. Photosynthesis: Plants mix chlorophyll with water to generate a sugary plant food New concept is revisited with a new layer of information Good concept instruction is recursively scaffolded SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

New layer … Plants make their own food using sunlight and water. Photosynthesis: Plants mix chlorophyll with water to generate a sugary plant food Water enters plant via transpiration … etc. Sunlight is trapped by chloroplasts … etc. Good concept instruction is recursively scaffolded SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

Good concept instruction is recursively scaffolded Plants make their own food using sunlight and water. Photosynthesis: Plants mix chlorophyll with water to generate a sugary plant food Water enters plant via transpiration … etc. Sunlight is trapped by chloroplasts … etc. Chemistry involved in creating complex carbohydrates New layer … SCAFFOLDING COMPLEXITY

The following illustrates scaffolded complexity of an editing strategy (SCOPE) so that it is developmentally appropriate

Read your work out loud. Listen for: * Sentences that do not make sense. * Incorrect use of grammar SCOPE editing strategy © 2003 E.S. Ellis Use your SCOPE to find and fix errors Are all words spelled correctly? Focus on: * Words that don’t look correct * Long words * Proper nouns Assume at least five words are misspelled - find them. Mark EVERY word that could possibly be misspelled. Does each sentence begin with a capital letter? Are all proper nouns capitalized? Have any words been left out of the sentence? Check each sentence to make sure it ends with a punctuation mark. Were commas used to separate items in a series? Quotation marks used for dialogue? C apitalization C c E ar . ? ! P unctuation S pelling kat cat O missions Watch out for: * Sentence fragments * Run-on sentences * Changing tense singular/plural misalignments between nouns and verbs The boysis going fishing. vs. The boysare going fishing. Watch out for: * Dates * Using commas when they are not needed * Describing what somebody said (quotes NOT needed) vs. stating exactly what somebody said (quotes needed) Watch out for words your mind sees because they belong there, but were not actually written. Watch out for general types of things tiger vs. proper names Tony Tiger Watch out for homonyms seavs.see therevs. their here vs.hear Watch out forie vs.ei spellings If possible, read your paper at a later time to see if it still makes sense. Read your paper out loud to yourself or to someone else. Have someone read your paper out loud to you and suggest changes.

Read your work out loud. Listen for: * Sentences that do not make sense. * Incorrect use of grammar SCOPE editing strategy © 2003 E.S. Ellis Use your SCOPE to find and fix errors Are all words spelled correctly? Focus on: * Words that don’t look correct * Long words * Proper nouns Assume at least five words are misspelled - find them. Mark EVERY word that could possibly be misspelled. Does each sentence begin with a capital letter? Are all proper nouns capitalized? Have any words been left out of the sentence? Check each sentence to make sure it ends with a punctuation mark. Were commas used to separate items in a series? Quotation marks used for dialogue? C apitalization C c E ar . ? ! P unctuation S pelling kat cat O missions Watch out for: * Sentence fragments * Run-on sentences * Changing tense singular/plural misalignments between nouns and verbs The boysis going fishing. vs. The boysare going fishing. Watch out for: * Dates * Using commas when they are not needed * Describing what somebody said (quotes NOT needed) vs. stating exactly what somebody said (quotes needed) Watch out for words your mind sees because they belong there, but were not actually written. Watch out for general types of things tiger vs. proper names Tony Tiger Watch out for homonyms seavs.see therevs. their here vs.hear Watch out forie vs.ei spellings If possible, read your paper at a later time to see if it still makes sense. Read your paper out loud to yourself or to someone else. Have someone read your paper out loud to you and suggest changes. This is a much more sophisticated version of the same strategy that students eventually learn

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea As students move to more complex applications, scaffolding assistance is provided again as needed

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea As students move to more complex applications, scaffolding assistance is provided again as needed

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea As students move to more complex applications, scaffolding assistance is provided again as needed

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea As students move to more complex applications, scaffolding assistance is provided again as needed

Really good teachers provide scaffolding simultaneously on multiple dimensions … They scaffold assistance as students are learning how to do something They scaffold the complexity of what students are learning how to do They scaffold the complexity of the concept being taught at the same time the new skill is being taught I do itWe do itY’all do itYou do it Main idea For example, they recursively teach “photosynthesis” The amazing thing is that they do all of this simultaneously, but at different levels for different students, depending on each students’ needs!