According to the Glossary of Education Reform (2014), "Scaffolding refers to a variety of instructional techniques used to move students progressively toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the learning process."  When teachers use scaffolding, they provide successive levels of support that help students to reach higher levels of comprehension that they would not have been able to achieve without help.  The supportive strategies are gradually removed when they are no longer needed and the teacher shifts more responsibility over to the student.  

Scaffolding is breaking up the learning into chunks, then providing a tool.  or structure to use with each chunk.  When scaffolding is used for reading, you could preview the text and discuss key vocabulary, or chunk the text and read and discuss as you go.  (Alber, 2014) 

Here are some strategies that can be used to scaffold a lesson:

1.  Show and Tell - Model and demonstrate to students  exactly what they are expected to do.  You can use a "fish bowl activity" where a group of students are in the center of the room circled by the class.  The middle group "fishbowl" are engaging in an activity and modeling how the activity is done for the whole group.  The students on the outside can see how the activity is done while watching the inner group.  Another strategy in this category is "think alouds".  This process allows you to model your thought process as you read, solve a problem, etc.  

2.  Tap into Prior Knowledge - Ask students to share their own experiences, hunches and ideas about the content or concept of study and have them to relate and connect it to their own lives. Sometimes we may have to offer hints and suggestions for this, but once they get there, they will grasp it as their own.

                              Launching the learning in the classroom from prior knowledge of the students, and using this as a framework for the lessons to be taught is not only a scaffolding technique but also a plain good teaching.

3.  Give Time to Talk - All students need time to process new ideas and information.  They also need time to verbally make sense of and articulate their learning with the community of learners who are also engaged in the same experience and journey. As we know structured discussions really work best with children regardless of their level of maturation.

4.  Pre-Teach Vocabulary- It is sometimes referred to as frontloading vocabulary; this is the strategy that teachers don't use enough. Many of us are guilty of sending students all alone down the bumpy, muddy path known as Challenging Text. We send them ill-prepared and then we are often shocked when they - (a) lose interest (b) create a ruckus (c) fall asleep.

                Pre-teaching vocabulary doesn't mean pulling a dozen words from the chapter and having kids look up definitions and write them out. Instead, introduce the words to kids in photos in context to things they know and are interested in. Use analogies, metaphors and invite students to create a symbol or drawing for each word and give time for discussion of the words (small or whole groups). Until they've done all this, the dictionaries should not come out. And the dictionaries will be used only to compare with those definitions they've already discovered on their own. With the dozens or so words 'frontloaded', students are ready, we as their guide, to tackle that challenging text.

5.  Use Visual Aids - Graphic organizers, pictures and charts can all serve as scaffolding tools. Graphic organizers are very specific in that as they help kids visually represent their ideas, organize information, and grasp concepts such as sequencing, cause and effect etc.

            A graphic organizer is a scaffolding tool that helps, guide and shape the students thinking so that they can apply it. Some students can dive right into the discussion, or writing and essay, or synthesizing several different hypotheses without using a graphic organizer of some sort, but many of students benefit from using them with a difficult reading or challenging new information. Think of graphic organizers as training wheels; they are temporary and meant to be removed.

6.  Pause, Ask Questions, Pause, Review - This is a wonderful way to check for understanding while students read a chunk of difficult text or learn a new concept or content. Here's how this strategy works - a new idea from the discussion or reading is shared, then pause (providing the think time), then ask a strategic question, pausing again. Design the questions ahead of time, make sure they are specific, guiding and open-ended. Give think time for responses. If the class seems stuck by the questions, provide an opportunity for students to discuss it with a neighbor. 

7. Try something new - With all the diverse learners in the classrooms, there is a strong need for teachers to learn and experiment with new scaffolding strategies. 


According to the Glossary for Education Reform (2014), some additional strategies for scaffolding a lesson include:

1.  The teacher gives students a simplified version of a reading and/or assignment then gradually increases the difficulty or complexity over time. 

2.  The teacher describes, illustrates, or models the concept or problem to ensure understanding in multiple ways.  

3.  Students are given an example or model of an assignment that they expected to complete.  The example would be explained as to why it is exemplary and how it represents high quality work.

4.  The teacher clearly describes the purpose of the activity, the directions, and the learning objectives they are expected to achieve. 

5.  The teacher describes how the lesson builds on the previous knowledge and skills have been taught in a previous lesson.