Merriam Webster defines Scaffolding as a supporting framework. The idea of Instructional scaffolding is the provision of sufficient support to promote learning when concepts and skills are being first introduced to students. These supports may include the following:
- Resources
- A compelling task
- Templates and guides
- Guidance on the development of cognitive and social skills
These supports are gradually removed as students develop autonomous learning strategies, thus promoting their own cognitive, affective and psychomotor learning skills and knowledge. Teachers help the students master a task or a concept by providing support. The support can take many forms such as outlines, recommended documents, storyboards, or key questions (thank you Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructional_scaffolding
Parents and teachers provide scaffolds - we are the supportive structures that help our children learn, play, grow, and develop into competent adults. When we offer advice about friends, help with homework, and guide our children through their struggles we are the scaffold on which they stand as they build their adult lives. Sometimes we become more than just the support - when we become the problem solver, the friend, or the homework author we have robbed our children of the importance of learning how to resolve the issue. Sometimes the lesson is learned in failing rather than achieving.
On page 12 of Price of Privilege, Madeline Levine writes
support is about the needs of the child, intrusion is about the needs of the parentHow do you provide scaffolding for the children in your life? When have you let the scaffolding fall? What were the results?
As a parent, do you support or intrude?
Someone once said the business of parents of middle schooers and high schoolers is learning how to navigate from manager to consultant. Bascially, we must build more and stronger scaffolding as our kids grow, eventually changing the nature of the support so their strong adult-selves can stand independently.
A strategy I use in my house is to try to turn a bad/negative/stressful situation into a problem-solving situation. For instance, I left my book at school and I cannot do my homework. Of course, we are upset they did not think ahead or plan accordingly but we try to focus on "What can we do now?" Do you have a friend who may have the book? Is there a way you can get a copy or the questions? If you can't get it done tonight, what is your plan to get caught up tomorrow? I really feel my child already knows she messed up so why add to that? Let's learn from it and what can we do now?
ReplyDeleteIs this being supportive or am I intruding by making suggestions or driving my child to a friend's house to borrow the book? I feel I am being supportive as she problem solves what to do next. I hope it helps my kids to adapt to new situations and that there is more than one way to get to an outcome.
Tina, I think those are great strategies. We have been using those at our house for years. My kids started their education at another school and the message from teachers and administrators was, "forgotten homework is a teachable moment." They encouraged parents to help their students find alternative ways of getting forgotten homework (book, etc) accomplished and suggested those ideas just as you described. I think it teaches our kids problem solving and planning skills. You're right - they know they've already made a mistake, no sense in making them feel worse for it. Solving the problem AND accomplishing the goal are two positives from the negative.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to answer Beth's posed question: "How do you provide scaffolding for the children in your life? When have you let the scaffolding fall? What were the results?" from an educator's perspective.
ReplyDeleteAs an elementary teacher, scaffolding is a part of our daily life in the classroom. Scaffolding is especially useful when teaching young children social skills and problem solving skills.
Young children learn how to problem solve through exposure and practice. Every couple days during our Morning Meeting time, I try to have a problem or social situation for the students to solve. We then act out a Champion Way and a Not Champion Way to solve the problem. I feel that this visual role play and discussion of possible solutions together will then allow students to apply to situations that may arise at other times throughout the day.
Many times students are able to apply the skills they have learned to personal situations and many times everything they have learned is forgotten. Without constant practice, discussions and guidance from and with teachers and parents, students will struggle to solve problems when they are released to try on their own.
As Levine discusses in her book; however, we have to be careful to allow students to try on their own. Parents and teachers cannot solve every problem that arises for children. Teach, model, discuss, practice, release..... and repeat!
Reading these comments reminded me how difficult it is to scaffold! Sometimes it is just easier and faster to do the work for our student / child. It takes time and finesse to guide them. I have been in situations where all I want is to just solve an academic problem for a student. "It's a simile!" I'm shouting on the inside, but I have to remind myself that I rob my student of that problem-solving experience when I just step in and give them the answer. "The author says her hair is LIKE the sun," leading the student to figure it out, but it's not always this easy! Scaffolding takes a lot of time and energy from the teacher and the parent. You have to constantly think about the long-term benefits versus the short-term ones. Furthermore, it is a fine line; when you see that your student / child is frustrated or confused, I find myself struggling to strike the balance between the desire to "make it better" versus allowing them the opportunity to deal with it on their own.
ReplyDeleteDarryl Sycher writes...In response to the excellent question posed, As a parent, do you support or intrude?, I find it difficult to separate the two at times. There have been many times as a parent when I know that although I want my child to succeed on his own, I find a natural inclination inside of myself to intrude and "help" him along. Likewise, my instincts as a teacher tell me to be patient and allow a student to succeed or fail on his/her own, knowing that picking oneself off the ground and standing tall to meet the next challenge is a major step in the maturing process. However, I also realize that there are times when intruding may not be about my needs (as a teacher) or the needs of a parent but are done for the genuine welfare of the student/child. I try to be as vigilant as possible in noticing any change of behavior or any noticeable pattern displayed by a student that deviates from his/
ReplyDeleteher daily routine. As Dr. Levine notes, parents as well as educators need to "open our eyes to the fact that money, education, power, prestige, and material goods offer no protection against unhappiness or emotional illness."(p.18) Indeed, alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, stress/anxiety, somatic complaints, rule breaking, along with thought and attention problems, are issues that are more prevalent among "well-adjusted" teens than we may think. I concur with the author that "psychological problems, particularly when they are untreated [or we choose not to intrude], tend to endure over time." In fact, what is more disconcerting is that "affluent children are at risk of having their problems glossed over or trivialized, increasing their likelihood that when their problems are finally acknowledged, they will be more severe and more difficult to resolve."(p. 25) Some serious food for thought!
I agree with Sara and Darryl. In my high school English classroom, scaffolding is often difficult, especially during writing instruction. For example, students always seem to struggle with creating arguable and effective thesis statements. And, I understand why—writing a good thesis statement is challenging. While I provide them with exemplar thesis statements and suggestions during writing conferences, I struggle with just how much scaffolding to provide. Sometimes, too much help/suggestions/advice with writing instruction can lead to further frustration. I constantly strive to find that balance between guiding students and creating independent writers.
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes as a teacher I can go on either side of the extreme of scaffolding. Either I "assume" the students understands the expectations and I do not provide enough if any scaffolding or I over-scaffold and many of my high achievers are bored in the process. This is where good planning and differentiation have to come into place for my multi-leveled science classes to survive and thrive.
ReplyDeleteI have found using Mastery Learning in which all students must do the work to earn the grade has helped both the students and I work through curriculum and scaffold when needed and where needed. Giving students more independence in the classroom after expectations are set allows me to then pull some students in who may need more scaffolding.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know who needs the scaffolding more. That is why I must have formative feedback. I have to know where my students are in their understanding so that I know what kind of scaffolding to provide.
However, academics is not always the key area that scaffolding must occur. Behavior is a huge area whether we are talking about sons & daughters or students in 1st grade or 9th grade. Students have to have modeling to understand expectations. Our own kids have to see their parents model behaviors over and over again. We as teachers and educators cannot assume that our students or our children will just "get it" without some modeling and feedback along the way.