As teachers, we hear the same buzzwords all the time; words like differentiate, formative assessment, and scaffolding come to mind for me. We hear these words for good reason – they are things that good teachers do to help students! However, just because we hear them doesn’t mean we know exactly what they mean or how to actually implement them with students!
Scaffolding was one of those words for me – one that I’d heard before, but couldn’t exactly explain what it was and how to make it happen. Maybe you’re in the same boat, occasionally searching on Google or Pinterest for “what is scaffolding in teaching” or “how do you scaffold in the classroom”. I was doing that, too! Now that I’ve finally figured it out, I wanted to share my favorite strategies for scaffolding with you!
What is Scaffolding?
To help you understand what scaffolding truly is, I want you to think of scaffolding used during construction. It’s a temporary support, put in place while something is being built. The goal is for the construction project to stand on its own and function without the support, but the project isn’t quite there yet. If we think about our students’ understanding of a topic as the construction project, scaffolding starts to make more sense. We may use temporary supports, like graphing organizers, reference pages, or checklists, to support students as their understanding of a topic is “under construction”, with the goal that, when the project is complete, students will be able to complete the steps or process independently. Think about it – I love paragraph graphic organizers, but I don’t want my students to be in their college writing courses still relying on that support. One really common example of scaffolding is training wheels on a bike! Do we want to have training wheels on forever? No, but they are what makes it possible to learn to ride a bike independently!
Easy Scaffolding Strategies & Ideas
So now you know that scaffolding is a key approach to support students’ learning by providing temporary support. Here are some easy strategies to scaffold instruction and ensure that all students can succeed:
Scaffold By Breaking Down Tasks
Start your scaffolding journey by dividing a complex assignment or concept into smaller, more manageable parts. For instance, if you’re teaching essay writing, first focus on brainstorming ideas, then move to outlining, and finally drafting. While teaching students how to solve systems of linear equations, I broke down each problem into “part A, part B, and the solution” to help students remember that they weren’t done after solving for one variable! If you’ve ever used the “4 square method” for adding or subtracting unlike fractions, congrats! You were scaffolding! By tackling each component individually, students can build their skills gradually, learn to focus on one step at a time, and avoid feeling overwhelmed!
I use this Keep Change Change scaffolded activity every year to support my students with breaking down subtracting integers! It breaks each problem into steps – first, they have to rewrite the problem using KCC, then they solve it. It works wonders for their understanding and confidence! Check it out here!
Scaffold with Hands-On Models
From using counting bears in kindergarten to fractional pieces in upper elementary to algebra tiles in middle and high school, hands-on materials can go a long way in building understanding! This method of scaffolding takes abstract ideas and makes them concrete and moveable. I love using positive and negative tokens to model integer operations as my students are building understanding – it really clicks for my students as we are physically taking away zero pairs!
Scaffold with Pictures or Drawings
This is probably the scaffolding strategy that I use the most in my middle school math classes. I love using number lines and pictures to model integer operations. It’s a game-changer for so many fraction skills, too! I LOVE using these scaffolding printables to make this so easy! Check out my multi-strategy scaffolding guides here!
Scaffold by Using Graphing Organizers
Using visual tools like mind maps, Venn diagrams, and flow charts help students organize their thoughts and understand relationships between concepts. These organizers can serve as a visual scaffold that supports students as they process and synthesize information. They prompt students to organize information and guide them for creating ideas. I use this method of scaffolding each week when I use my favorite writing intervention called “Paragraph of the Week” – check out more info in this blog post.
You can also use graphic organizers in math! I love using this digital activity when teaching my students to combine like terms – it has them sort like terms, then combine each set of terms, and finally, write the simplified expression. Check it out here!
Scaffold by Modeling the Process
Support your students by demonstrating the steps involved in a task or problem-solving process. For example, when teaching how to solve a math problem, walk through each step verbally. Modeling provides a clear example for students to follow and helps them understand how to apply strategies on their own. Use think-aloud strategies to verbalize your thought process while solving a problem or making a decision. This technique helps students understand how to approach a task and encourages them to verbalize their own thinking, which can clarify their understanding.
This is a great strategy for preparing for state tests. I created these state test scaffolding pages with this strategy in mind – teachers can model the first problem, and then students can give it a try with a similar problem! Check them out here!
Scaffold with Checklists and Rubrics
Create checklists or rubrics to outline the criteria for a successful assignment. These tools give students a clear understanding of expectations and help them track their progress. They also serve as a reference that students can use to self-assess their work. I use checklists during multi-step math problems, like solving equations, to help students guide their thinking as they go – without relying on me!
Scaffold by Gradually Increasing Difficulty
Start with the most simple version of an academic task and gradually increase the complexity as you go, as students gain confidence and competence. This incremental approach ensures that students build a strong foundation before tackling more challenging material – and feel more and more confident along the way! Maybe you start with whole numbers, move on to decimals, and then try fractions. Maybe the numbers you use start as one-digit numbers and gradually get larger with each problem. This may be a method of scaffolding that you are just naturally doing in your classroom because it just makes sense!
You are probably already using at least one, if not more, of these strategies without knowing it was scaffolding. Think about how much more powerful your scaffolding can be now that you know enough to use it on purpose! By intentionally incorporating these scaffolding strategies into your teaching, you can create a supportive learning environment that helps all students succeed. Scaffolding not only makes learning more manageable but also empowers students to take control of their educational journey AND enjoy it more.
