Scaffolding for Student Success

Watch Alberta Education’s new Inclusive Education Video Series to learn more about inclusive education topics, including Valuing All Students; Changing How We Talk about Disabilities; and Using A Positive Behaviour Approach to Support Learning.

education.alberta.ca/inclusion

(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)