Scaffolding Instruction Support for Learners

Adapted (with permission) from: From Apprenticeship to Appropriation : Scaffolding the Development of Academic Language by English Learners K-16 Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

What is scaffolding? Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Think-Jot Down-Share or Reflect What comes to your mind when you think of a scaffold? Name two purposes scaffolds are used for. Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Type of Scaffold 1.Modeling Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Modeling Language for Text Discussion I think this phrase means… This part reminds me of the time… I agree with… I also think… I have the same opinion as… I also think… I disagree with… I think that… I think differently than… I think that…. Why do you think… What is your evidence that… Can you give me one example that supports your notion that… Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Phrases for Students To Use When They Don’t Understand Questions: Will you please repeat that word/sentence/question? What do you mean by….? Would you mind going over that again a little more slowly? Can you explain that another way? Can you give me another example of that? Can you tell me more about that? Responses: I don’t understand that idea/word/remark/question. So you mean that…(paraphrase). In other words, you are saying that…(paraphrase) Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Why would you model these phrases? Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Type of Scaffold 2. Bridging Wested, Teacher professional Development, 2003

Anticipatory Guide Read the following statements and decide whether you agree with them or not. 1.Some people in Wisconsin are farmers. 2.Farming is often hard work. 3.Farm families may raise cows, pigs, and chickens.

Why Anticipate? The idea here is that having children predict first helps them think and helps them focus when they read or write. Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Revisiting Our Initial Impressions Extended Guide Now that you have read the story about farming, go back to your original impressions and decide whether the text supports them or not. If it does not, indicate why not using your own words. SupportNo SupportWhy? Explain using your own words X

This is a model of explicit instruction. Anticipating and revisiting are necessary for ESL and many other learners.

Type of Scaffold 3. Contextualization Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Context Surrounding new concepts with a sensory environment, thus clarifying them. Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Images are not dependent on language. They are important scaffolds. Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Other Ways of Contextualizing Use metaphors from students’ funds of knowledge. Use selected video clips with or without sound. Play music connected to the theme to be read. Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Type of Scaffold 4. Schema building Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Schema Clusters of concepts that are interconnected. Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Compare/Contrast Matrix Appropriate for similarities and differences between Two things (or more) People Events Ideas, etc. Key considerations: What things are being compared? How are they similar? How are they different? Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003 Name 1Name 2 Attribute 1 Attribute 2 Attribute 3

Sequence of Events Chain What happened? 1 st ? 2 nd ? … Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

The students can draw pictures or write in the boxes after talking together with the teacher. Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Type of Scaffold 5.Metacognitive Development Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Metacognition Thinking about the thinking process involved in an action Conscious monitoring of strategic behavior Planning strategic behavior Self-assessment Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Types of Question-Answer Relationships 1.Right there The reader can immediately identify the answer because it is stated explicitly in the text. 2.Think and search The answer is implicit in the text. The reader must analyze, infer, draw logical conclusions, etc. 3.On my own The reader has questions related to the topic that are not included in the text. 4.Writer and me If the reader were right in front of the author, what questions would s/he ask? Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Think Aloud 1.Read the titleANTICIPATE: Review your knowledge of the topic. 2. Read the first sentenceSTOP : Put content in your own words. Connect it to concepts you already know. 3. Read the next sentenceSTOP : Rephrase Connect Visualize NEW WORD? 1 st time: Guess! No solution? Put on hold! 2 nd time: Guess! No solution? Put on hold! 3 rd time: No answer? Now check the dictionary! Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Self-Assessment Think about the many new ideas we have discussed in class this week. Try to categorize them. Perfectly clear: More or less clear: I need to work more on: Wested,Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Make all students write.

Who needs scaffolded instruction in your class? How often and how much scaffolding do these children need? Is this a language issue, a social class issue, and/or a learning issue? Why? Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Review of Scaffolding Modeling Bridging Contextualization Schema Building Metacognition

Conditions for Scaffolding 1. CONTINUITY4. CONTINGENCY Tasks are repeated with variations Task procedures depend on actions of and are connected to one another. learners, participants, orient teacher’s actions. 2. SUPPORT FROM CONTEXT Exploration is encouraged in a safe,5. HANDOVER/TAKEOVER supportive environment. Access to Learner autonomy increases as skills and means and goals is promoted in a confidence grow. Teachers attend to variety of ways. learner's readiness to take over increasing parts of the action. 3. INTERSUBJECTIVITY Mutual engagement, meanings are6. FLOW co-constructed by participants. Skills and challenges are in balance. Participants are focused on the task and “in tune” with it. Wested, Teacher Professional Development, 2003

Support for Academic Learning Scaffolding supports academic learning for many learners and using scaffolding during instruction is vital to successful teaching.