Teacher: Scaffolding is a term you hear all the time in education and yet sometimes it feels like we know more about what it looks like in a construction project than in the classroom. Like on a building, scaffolding is a temporary support structure. It supports students so they can better comprehend the material and build more complex skills than they would without help. You gradually take it away as they move towards independence. Here are five ways to build scaffolding into your practice to help your students reach new heights.

Teacher: Breaking a task down into manageable steps is an important part of scaffolding but without a clear picture of their goal, students may struggle to achieve it. Share a model of an essay, a project or a product so the steps of the process make more sense. When you show students the end game, they’ll be able to better visualize what they are working toward.

Teacher: When students know exactly what you expect of them, they’ll be more likely to successfully complete a task. Graphic organizers, charts and to do lists can help spell out the steps of an assignment and support the development of a student’s executive functioning skills. Be sure to state your expectations for each chunk of the work clearly. It may help prevent a student from getting confused or overwhelmed and then giving up or falling behind.

Teacher: Demonstrating critical thinking skills helps students develop them. Verbalize the inner workings of your own brain with a think aloud so students hear your thought process as you read a complex text, work on a task or solve a problem. Sharing your struggles, triumphs or even your mistakes will let them know that it’s all part of the learning journey.

Teacher: Discussing challenging concepts or topics can be a great way for students to reflect on their learning and build on each other’s understanding of the material. To encourage academic talk, provide students with sentence starters. It will help them get used to speaking with each other in a more formal way and help them stay on topic.

Teacher: If students don’t understand enough of the material they’re working with, they may quickly lose interest and feel defeated. Identify key words that will act like lifeboats during your lesson and have students work together to define them beforehand. Resist pulling out the dictionary, though. Ask them to use pictures or context clues and discuss in small groups. Only resort to looking words up at the end to compare the definition they have worked out themselves. By providing a structure for each student to work from, you’ll be meeting them where they are and setting up the launch pad they need to tackle new learning.