A few years ago, I bought a beautiful piece of living room furniture from a big-box store. A statement piece that would’ve tied everything together. The only problem was, it came without instructions. Show
Ever tried building something without proper, effective guidance? It can feel impossible, intimidating, overwhelming or simply not worth doing. Introducing a new math concept can fill your students with those exact feelings — which is why scaffolding in education is so important. What is scaffolding in education?In education, scaffolding is an instructional method teachers use to show students how to solve problems, offering support as they need it. Imagine a construction crew building a house. The crew uses scaffolding to help support them and their materials. As the crew completes sections of the house and no longer needs support, they remove the scaffolds. Like a construction crew, you can use scaffolding in education to help support students as they learn new concepts. Then, as your students internalize information and show signs of understanding, you gradually remove the scaffolds to enable independent learning. The types of scaffolding you use in your classroom will look different based on your goals, lesson and students. Generally, scaffolding supports fall into three categories:
According to one study, using a range of different supports in your instruction can help students, especially English language learners, effectively engage with grade-level objectives and content. Scaffolding and the zone of proximal developmentScaffolding in education is built on the idea of a zone of proximal development, first theorized about in the 1930s by Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky. The zone of proximal development (ZDP) is the distance between what students can accomplish on their own and what they need help with. For one student, this could be the difference between mastering two-digit multiplication and struggling with multiplying decimals. The presence of a more knowledgeable other, usually a teacher, is a key element of scaffolding and helps students move the zone of proximal development. They help students develop new skills, using scaffolding techniques to build on what students have already mastered. Scaffolding helps students bridge the gap between what they know and what they need to know, supports them as they develop new skills and breaks down unfamiliar skills into smaller, easily accessible ideas. But a more knowledgeable other doesn’t have to just be a teacher! It could also be:
Examples of scaffolding in educationLet’s walk through a practical example of what scaffolding could look like in your classroom. 1. Build on prior knowledgeLet’s say you’re introducing your students to long division. Obviously, you can’t start scaffolding until you understand what students already know. You need to understand what concepts they’ve mastered and where they still need practice. You might have this data from previous units or past teachers. But you might not have all the data — especially this year, considering student learning loss from COVID-19-related school closures. There are a few ways you can identify learning gaps and activate prior knowledge:
If you discover your students have mastered place value but still have trouble remembering some of their division facts, that’s where you need to start. Instead of jumping straight into long division problems right away, build on their understanding of division skills first. This helps you build a solid foundation for the rest of your unit! 2. Present the problem and think out loudOnce you’re sure students understand prerequisites like division facts, vocab and place value, it’s time to move on. Modeling problems is a key part of effective scaffolding. Using actions, images and language, walk your students through a basic long division problem, demonstrating your thought process. While you solve the problem, explain in clear, easy-to-understand terms what you’re doing and why. Look for verbal and nonverbal cues that students are engaged and understand. As you model the problem, use different strategies to connect with students in multiple ways:
Use whichever methods make the most sense for your unit — math games can help you teach long division, but read-alouds are more effective when it comes to modeling reading comprehension strategies. 3. Repeat as necessaryContinue to reinforce the concept, using a variety of different entry points to increase student understanding. As you go, check in with your students using:
You know your class best, so look for verbal and non-verbal cues they’re understanding the lesson. 4. Encourage participationEncourage class participation, and provide positive reinforcement for right and wrong answers. Eventually, ask more students to participate and provide correction as needed. Use collaborative learning strategies to help students strengthen their skills and learn alongside their peers. Get the whole class involved using the fishbowl method! Put a question up on the board, then invite students up to solve the problem. As a class, discuss how they reached the answer and the methods they used. Other virtual and in-person participation strategies include:
Gradually ask more students to participate, and use their answers to gauge their understanding. Provide correction as needed, but be sure to lean on positive reinforcement strategies. 5. Check understanding againWalk through problems with students again, checking for understanding and modeling as needed. At this point, students should be able to work independently to answer questions and demonstrate skills. Gradually move away from techniques like modeling in favor of independent work and in-depth discussions. One common method is “I do, we do, you do.”
6. Ensure students can demonstrate knowledgeEventually, students should be able to demonstrate a solid understanding of the lesson, while you jump in and offer support as needed. This is one of the trickier parts of scaffolding — let go too soon and students might struggle more than they need to, but continue modeling too long and risk students getting bored. It might be harder to tell the first few times, but eventually you’ll develop a solid understanding of your students’ learning process and find the sweet spot for letting go. Scaffolding looks different in every classroom, depending on the lesson, your students’ knowledge and the resources available to you. You know your class best, so adapt as necessary! How Prodigy Math Game helps you scaffold your lessonsScaffolding in education can be time-consuming, and it’s not always easy to tell exactly where your students are in the learning process — especially if they’re learning remotely. Prodigy Math Game can help! Prodigy Math Game’s adaptive algorithm keeps learners in their zone of proximal development, which can help them tackle new problems without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. And with powerful teacher tools, you’ll be able to align the questions students see as they play. Use Assignments as a diagnostic tool to see where students need scaffoldingAssignments quiz students on a set of skills with a fixed number of questions. Think about it like a pop quiz, except students have no idea they’re being assessed — it’s all part of the adventure! Use Assignments to diagnose trouble spots and make decisions about scaffolding and re-teaching. Here’s how:
Assignments can be used to understand prior knowledge at the start of the lesson, or after scaffolding activities to understand student progress. “Once a skill has been taught, I have students constantly reviewing the skills they know by completing quizzes I assign [in Prodigy]. When it’s time to take the standardized test at the end of the year, they’ve already been reviewing everything. They actually remember what was taught in September!” - Karina C., 5th grade teacher, Florida Assign a Plan to give students more support within a particular standardPlans guide students through skills and standards at their own pace, dropping them down to pre-requisites as necessary to build foundational skills. Use them to give students guided, adaptive math practice throughout your lesson — then check back to see which skills they’ve mastered and where they need more instruction. Here’s how:
Use Plans to activate prior knowledge at the beginning of a unit or lesson, or to provide students with skill-building practice after modelling key concepts. “I have had a student who struggled with understanding story problems. With the way Prodigy scaffolds story problems, the student learned how to write out equations without supports. It was amazing to see such generalization of skills.” - Bonnie Z., 6th-8th grade teacher, Indiana At Prodigy, we’re committed to supporting teachers around the world with powerful teaching tools. Join the millions of teachers who have used Prodigy to support their math teaching by signing up today! Sign up todayBenefits of scaffolding in educationScaffolding can be a lot of work. So what’s the point? Let’s run through some of the benefits of scaffolding — for you and your students. Boosts student understandingWhen students are given more entry points into the lesson and your instruction deliberately develops independent skills, they’re more likely to achieve skill mastery. Helps differentiate instructionScaffolding and differentiation aren’t the same thing, but you can use differentiation techniques to give students different levels of scaffolding depending on where they are in their understanding. Increases time on taskStudents spend more time practicing key skills in class, instead of zoning out when it gets too easy or giving up because it’s too difficult. Builds learning momentumWhen students master key skills faster with scaffolding, the benefits add up! You’ll be able to move on to new concepts knowing all students have achieved mastery and are adding new skills with ease. It’s engagingStudents stay engaged with the learning process when they feel included and supported. Scaffolding gives them the confidence to gradually take on more independent work without losing focus, getting frustrated or becoming bored. Gives teacher insights into student progressThe very nature of scaffolding means you have to continually check for understanding and respond to changing student needs. You’re already tuned in to how your class is learning, but the process of scaffolding can give you new insights. Promotes independent learningScaffolding gradually removes support in the classroom so students can build effective independent learning skills. Independent learning is a lifelong skill, and modeling its importance can reinforce it from an early stage. Fosters collaborative learningScaffolding is all about learning in collaboration with a teacher and with classmates. Students can work in groups to develop skills or collaborate with peers on a final project. Scaffolding, like everything else, takes practice to get right. But over time, you’ll understand what it looks like when your class is ready to move on to the next level — and you’ll start to see the benefits! As two researchers in the 1980’s noted when expanding on the practice of scaffolding: “One does not simply learn to read and write: one learns to read and write about particular things in particular ways.” - Arthur Applebee and Judith Langer Being intentional about how you teach your students will almost always result in learning gains. It’s up to you to find the ways that work best for your students! Prodigy Math Game is an adaptive learning platform loved by more than 90 million educators, students and parents. Join today and watch your students love learning math. Prodigy Math Game is free for teachers, always! Sign up now |