Provide Scaffolded Supports

Scaffolding Basics

When you think about scaffolding, think of the ladders and planks that builders use to support a building until it is complete and ready to stand on its own. They provide only as much support as is needed and pull it away when it is no longer necessary. We can do the same for students by planning some supports and creating others during lessons. The key is to help students reach standards they could not on their own but gradually remove scaffolding that is no longer needed.

This four-minute video from the Government of Alberta, Canada, on Scaffolding for Student Success gives a nice introduction to scaffolding. You can learn the basics of what scaffolding is and how it supports student learning. Try to come away from this video able to explain what scaffolding is and how we can effectively use it with our students.

Scaffolding in Action

Scaffolding can require planning ahead, though we also provide it on the spur of the moment when we notice a student struggling with a lesson. It is important that we consider whether and how we will remove the scaffolding as our students build their independence. Scaffolding is important for academics, behavior, communication, and other skills.

In this eleven-minute video, Natalie from My Progression shares about Evaluating Scaffolding Teaching Techniques. Listen to see if you can identify how scaffolding can take different forms and explain how scaffolding will equip the students to participate fully in learning activities.

Scaffolding Strategies

We have so many options for how to scaffold learning for our students. We Are Teachers offers a wealth of ideas in their article 18 Smart Instructional Scaffolding Examples for Every Classroom. You might try reading about one scaffolding strategy, checking out the linked video or other resource, and then trying it with your students. Once you and they are comfortable with the scaffolding strategy, come back to this site and explore another strategy. Remember to plan for removing the scaffold when the student no longer needs it.

Math Manipulatives

Math is abstract, so many students struggle to understand new math concepts or complete mathematical operations. Manipulatives, which include anything we can physically interact with, can scaffold this understanding. In 50+ Elementary Math Manipulatives for the Classroom, Jodi Durgin & Company share dozens of ideas for using math manipulatives to scaffold student learning. These can be used with students in elementary school and older students receiving special education services to support learning of content introduced in elementary school general education settings.

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