(whimsical music)
- [Narrator] Learning always precedes
from the known to the new.
Good teaching recognizes and builds
on this through scaffolding.
A student learning new skills and concepts
is like a carpenter building a house.
In order to build the house safely and correctly,
carpenters need to stand on scaffolding
until they're ready to move onto
the next stage of construction.
The construction of learning starts from the ground up.
The new is built on top of the known.
In the learning environment, teachers provide scaffolding
to support the construction of new learning
for individual and groups of students.
Scaffolding provides students with the
just-right supports they need to participate in learning,
complete a challenging task, or learn a new concept.
Scaffolding encourages students to continuously
grow and develop to a level
that is just above their current level.
Scaffolding is a way to gradually shift the responsibility
for learning from the teacher to the student
and help learners' become more independent.
Scaffolding builds on the understanding that students
learn in many ways, build new knowledge
based on prior experiences and knowledge,
and need to be supported in learning
when they cannot achieve on their own.
To plan just-right scaffolding,
teachers need to understand what an individual student
or group of students can do independently.
Effective scaffolded instruction
starts with knowing students strengths and needs,
provides tailored assistance that is adjusted
on an as needed basis, controls for frustration
and builds learner confidence,
uses descriptive feedback, so students understand
what they are doing right and how they can do better.
And just as it is for the carpenter
moving through the stages of construction,
as students' abilities in a particular area improve,
scaffolds can be gradually reduced or removed.
For students' with learning difficulties,
the intensity of scaffolding may change,
but it may need to be on-going, so students can continue to
actively participate in learning and move forward.
When planning for scaffolded instruction,
ask yourself, what does this student
or group of students currently know
and what can they do?
(cat meow)
What do they need to know and be able to do?
How big is the learning gap?
What scaffolds will help them ridge this gap,
but still keep the learning challenging?
Common scaffolds for learning include,
tapping into or building background knowledge,
modeling by the teacher or other students,
guided practice, "I do, you do,"
prompts, such as visual supports or step-by-step directions,
strategy instruction, use of graphic organizers.
Technology can also provide flexible,
unobtrusive scaffolds for learning.
For example, for a student with reading difficulties,
text-to-speech, and having digital texts read aloud
might be the scaffold they need
to access content for project work.
This technology may be a scaffold
some students use throughout their lives.
For others students, such as a student learning English,
text-to-speech might scaffold their learning
until they develop stronger,
independent reading and language skills.
To maximize students success,
the use of any scaffold including technology,
must be combined with effective instruction.
Instructional scaffolding is one way teachers
can design learning environments
that support the success of every student.
(joyful singing)
For more information, on supporting every student
visit the Alberta Education website.
(joyful singing)