What do you think? by LeeAnne Godfrey https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c How do you understand the term scaffolding or the assistance by an "expert" in helping a learner do something he/she wouldn't otherwise be able to do alone? Share an example (e.g., story, video, image) of scaffolding in action and offer an brief explanation. (ESL 8130 F19) en-us 2017-03-22 17:11:18 UTC 2025-04-08 15:04:53 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lightdecrease.png Scaffolding https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390244878 Scaffolding is offering a learner the right amount of assistance so they can complete the task at hand. Through the feedback/teaching you give them at the beginning they should eventually be able to complete the task on their own. I would use scaffolding in my language arts classroom when we practiced analyzing and using our reading strategies with a text. The students would meet with me in a small group and I'd ask them questions based on the reading strategy we were using that day. If students were having trouble I'd ask them another question to try and lead them in the correct direction. Through my guidance/asking questions I hoped they would come to the answer themselves and then be able to complete the process independently in the future. Scaffolding is not a one time thing. It usually takes many opportunities to give guidance, pulling back a little each time and then eventually the learner can do it on their own. Some skills will take more scaffolding and be a longer learning process than others. Also all students are different- one student may quickly understand a task with minimal scaffolding and another might need extra support.]]> 2019-09-26 18:52:54 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390244878 Scaffolding https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390273081 Scaffolding meets the student at the level they are currently at, and gives them incremental assistance, through introducing the new content, modeling how it is used, and prompting them to apply the new content, in order to bring them to the next level. This video gives an explanation and example. ]]> 2019-09-26 19:48:33 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390273081 Known to unknown https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390314043 Scaffolding comes in many forms whether vocabulary, a science procedure, solving a math problem, building on a historical skill or a specific comprehension skill. The key to scaffolding is finding of what students already (prior knowledge) know and then building to the new information. This process includes explicit instruction through modeling. For example, if I want students to use the tier 2 language hypothesized ]]> 2019-09-26 22:07:14 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390314043 Known to Unknown!!! mleighty01 https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390318859 Scaffolding comes in many forms whether vocabulary, a science procedure, solving a math problem, building on a historical skill or a specific comprehension skill. The key to scaffolding is finding of what students already know (background knowledge) and their previous experience (prior knowledge) and building on that to the new information. This process includes explicit instruction through modeling. Over time, the teacher slowly removes the extra supports until the student has achieved mastery on their own. This relates to Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development. 

For example, if I want students to use hypothesize, a tier 2 vocabulary term, and they currently know the word guess, then I'd need to scaffold the vocabulary like my example below. This could be done over a week to build student's confidence and I would recommend utilizing pictures, sentence starters, modeling how to use the language and giving students opportunities to practice the language through student-centered activities that allow for substantive conversations. This is something I did in our 10th grade Biology course to assist students in building their  comprehension and confidence with the terms when we were conducting water lab experiments.
]]> 2019-09-26 22:32:55 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390318859 Scaffolds in Class https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390321317 I think scaffolding is something that I struggle with in my own practice, still. I am often working with teachers, and I can see how their material is available for extra scaffolds, but sometimes I miss the mark within my own materials. I see scaffolding as being useful and necessary for all subjects for students are not quite there yet. Our school uses a platform called Summit, and it has not been created for ESL students- especially those at the lower levels. So, our teachers have to do a lot of work to scaffold the materials that exist- this doesn't always happen. Lately, I have found myself really encouraging the use of sentence frames and sentence starters, and for them to be the same across the board. This has allowed teachers to focus their goals a bit to help ELL students do what they want them to do- it takes the burden of extra language off the students' shoulders, so to speak. Then, as they build confidence through the project, the scaffolds become less as they move through the different "checkpoints" (Summit language). I encourage scaffolded note-taking devices and building background knowledge as Michelle pointed out. Scaffolding for me enables ELL students to feel confident in having conversations with teachers and responding in discussions. I'm an expert at doing it, and I'm always looking for ways to help students move up the ladder, if you will...kind of like the picture. ]]> 2019-09-26 22:45:36 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390321317 Scaffolding https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390335266 To my understanding scaffolding is the process by which you as the teacher provide students with the necessary building blocks/aids to help them on their learning journey. Often times it seems like this is very helpful when you have a strict guideline for the content that must be taught. At times the content may seem beyond the learners level of comprehension, but with proper scaffolding learners should be able to grasp the concepts regardless of their level. The danger/pitfall of scaffolding however, is . to over scaffold/over support learners, ideally scaffolding should be a process in which the teacher slowly removes different layers/levels of support so that the students are able to complete certain tasks or activities independently. Here is a little infographic of some different ways scaffolding can happen in an ESL classroom. ]]> 2019-09-27 00:00:29 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390335266 Scaffolding is a way to support children's learning of language. It helps a child move from simple language to more complicated language. Scaffolding language means helping a child learn a new skill by building on skills that they already have. The WL program at my school starts from kindergarten through 5th grade. Therefore, the curriculum of the program is a progressive program in which students will learn new skills and language based on what they have already known in the past years. However, each year, there are new students who have no experience in the target language at all. I have posted visual images and flashcards to help those students and provide support so that they can catch up and achieve the same goals as the other classmates. There are many ways of scaffolding. Peer coaching is a way I have applied in my classroom to let students with higher proficiency to assist students with lower proficiency. The pair work with students at different proficiency allows students to negotiate for meaning in a more positive and friendly atmosphere and clarify for misunderstanding. Besides, in my classroom, I use storytelling and TPR (total physical response) to establish the meaning of vocabulary, and students develop fluency through different physical activities. All vocabulary are paired with an action. The action acts as a scaffolding help students memorize and recall the meaning of the vocabulary. https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390493617 2019-09-27 12:18:30 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390493617 Vygostky and Scaffolding https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390631658 I posted another video, but I think this explains it better! Scaffolding is when one more knowledgeable (in any area, not only language) supports or "scaffolds" information that helps the learner move from where they are to new new learning within their Zone of Proximal Development. If the more knowledgeable person gives assistance using information that is outside of the ZPD, the learner will not be able to process it or benefit from the scaffolding. The video shows different ways to scaffold. The "expert" can be another peer or anyone who knows the piece of info the other learner doesn't. ]]> 2019-09-27 16:05:09 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390631658 Scaffolding consists of 3 stages: https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390707084 1. 'I do' - an expert or a more experienced peer by their own exapmle demonstrates how something is done.
2. 'We do' - novice or a less experienced peer tries a skill under a guidance and some control of an expert or a more experienced peer. At this stage expert`s inclusion into a novice 'practice' is high in order to let the novice 'sense' a skill in a right way. This stage is very important because a novice can also guide their expert in the ways how an expert can help a novice to acquire a skill taking into account personal characteristics of a novice.  
3. 'You do' - novice or a less experienced peer switches to skill performance on their own with a minumal inclusion of an expert. At this stage a novice may even surpass their guide (expert).]]> 2019-09-27 18:21:08 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390707084 What Is Scaffolding? https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390790666 2019-09-27 23:55:01 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390790666 What is Scaffolding? rjohnson671 https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390950312 Scaffolding is a series of supports often by the teacher to aid the student in the learning process and meet their individual needs.  The supports offer by the teacher progressively diminish as the student becomes more and more independent with the skill.  I often refer to the scaffolding process with my students as “I do, We do, You do”.  


]]> 2019-09-29 03:11:59 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390950312 My scaffolding https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390992003 This image reminds me of the scaffolding I do most often in my classrooms. Since I am not responsible for grammar teaching, or new content in general, the most of the time I need to scaffold is when I am showing students how to play or do an activity I bring to class. I always, always model the activity with the teacher, then usually walk the students through the materials they need, after that we do a practice round involving the students working out kinks and confusions they may have and finally they are able to do what I have originally modeled by themselves. It is a model the students are used to and seem to trust and it helps empower them to try whatever the activity I bring is. Keep in mind, I am working with Japanese middle schoolers, so my experience may be quite different from yours, but this is what I have noticed about scaffolding in my classes! (MRL)]]> 2019-09-29 11:15:03 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/390992003 Scaffolding myang72 https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/391065011 The image that comes to mind when talking about scaffolding for students is an actual, physical scaffold that construction workers use to help them when building something. So when I think of scaffolding for students, I often think of it as providing more explicit instruction than was provided for the class as a whole. It is meant to provide students with the same opportunity to learn, just with a few more "steps" or in a different way. This can include using something such as a thinking map that can help guide students through something like writing an informational piece. Give them probing questions that can help them find or come up with answers that they can write down in a map. This map will help them collect their ideas and information, which they can use later on to write their informational piece.

]]> 2019-09-29 19:24:23 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/391065011 Scaffolding https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/391100138 I see scaffolding as keeping high expectations but breaking it down or providing assistance so that students have the skills to reach those high expectations. I don't think scaffolding is changing assignments. I think a common scaffold can be building background knowledge before completing an activity. Making sure that students can start at similar levels rather than assuming they all start at the same.]]> 2019-09-29 23:34:12 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/391100138 Like the building structure mdelorenzo01 https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/391247400 Scaffolding is the temporary metal framework that often surrounds a building being built, cleaned, updated, or maintained. Since the workers cannot reach above the first few feet to work, it is necessary to boost them up to where they need to do this job. It is temporary, and will be taken down when the job is done. Like this support structure, teachers can provide support to a student to help them reach a little bit higher and higher each time, with the teacher providing direct input, hints, practice opportunities, modeling, corrective feedback, or confirmation that a student has done something right. As a student gets better and better, the teacher can remove the portion of the scaffolding they don't need anymore, and the student will be able to do it on their own. (MBD)]]> 2019-09-30 10:40:48 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/391247400 Understanding of Scaffolding https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/391648188 Scaffolding is a term well known in the education community. My understanding of the term is that it is used to refer to anything given to students as a tool in accessing the content of a lesson. For example, in my classroom, we provide scaffolding for students in our classroom discussions. We provide sentence stems for students to use when responding to a question or the response of another student. We call this procedure Habits of Discussion. Our students use hand signals to show how they would like to respond as well. I see this as a scaffold for students as they are learning how to have discussions with other people in life.]]> 2019-10-01 01:34:27 UTC https://padlet.com/berg1207/3zq2vyobaj9c/wish/391648188