Over time, the teacher can gradually reduce their support until the students master the task themselves (like how the scaffolding around a building is torn down once a project is completed). His theory birthed the concept of a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)-the area between what is known and unknown where students can achieve a task with guidance from a knowledgeable teacher. This technique stems from Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who developed a theory that children learn best when an adult helps them expand upon what they already know and can do. In education, scaffolding is a teaching method where the educator helps support students to complete tasks just beyond the level that they could achieve by themselves. It helps crews access heights that they wouldn’t be able to reach on their own and serves as somewhat of a safety net.Įducational scaffolds provide a much different type of support, but similarly to construction, they help students reach new heights that they can’t do alone (metaphorically speaking). Scaffolds are temporary structures that construction workers use to support themselves and heavy materials as they complete a project, such as constructing a building or repairing a bridge. In this blog, we’ll explore what scaffolding instruction means and provide five scaffolding strategies for ELL students that you should use in your classroom.īefore we answer this question, let’s first consider what scaffolding is used for in construction. Rather, to be able to acquire new content knowledge and cultural understanding, English learners (ELs) require intentional and strategic instructional scaffolding. Unfortunately, the lack of support in this scenario is a harsh reality for many English learners.Įnglish language learners (ELLs), like all students, certainly don’t benefit from this type of “sink or swim” teaching. Nervously, you get to work, but you aren’t feeling very confident in yourself. You’re already feeling overwhelmed, but to top it off, your teacher asks you to read a three-page article that’s written in gibberish and complete five short-answer response questions all by yourself. You’re trying to learn a difficult language that everyone around you already knows and adjust to a school culture that’s much different than what you’re used to. Imagine that you and your family recently moved to a new country. Ma| English Language Learners, Teaching Strategies
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