![]() There is a lot of truth in this old proverb: If you teach using the scaffolding, Global Stage supports students’ growth into competent speakers and writers of English, and caring, responsible citizens fully prepared to succeed as the leaders of tomorrow’s this approach throughout the course. apply formative assessments to identify when and where to scaffold.monitor, give feedback and encourage a culture of learning through mistakes.regularly promote pair and group work where students share ideas and learn from their peers.physically demonstrate words by miming an action, showing real objects or using flashcards.always give students enough time to think, respond, ask new questions and encourage good group listening skills.activate students’ prior knowledge by using open-ended questions to ignite curiosity, for example, What do you think would happen if …?.promote a culture of curiosity and discovery by having a place to seek more information in a book corner in the classroom.install wall displays with pictures, key words and structures.establish clear classroom routines so children know what to expect and what comes next.Once we start to understand how scaffolding works, we can apply different strategies at different moments of our lessons. This can be a lot of work for the busy teacher but thankfully, there are materials that bring a solid scaffolding approach like the Macmillan course for young learners, Global Stage, for example. Teachers will need to know what each student is capable of and plan scaffolding strategies accordingly. Independent practice: You do one, I’ll watch.We can help students individually, or as a whole class, using the following critical process: These will be based on typical learner difficulties and specific needs. Hard scaffolding will see the teacher using graphic organizers, visuals and worksheets to take the students systematically through an activity, using specific prompts as they work.Soft scaffolding might see the teacher walking around the classroom helping students as they work and as their doubts appear, giving tips, pointing to specific things in their books, writing extra words on the board, or hinting at a word by voicing the first few letters.We can define scaffolding as two main types: soft scaffolding and hard scaffolding. What does scaffolding look like in the classroom? In the classroom, there are many natural ways we may help and support our students’ learning too. Scaffolding is vitally important in the early years as children develop skills (learning to learn), slowly building their confidence until they are able to work on the tasks independently.īruner was interested in early childhood development and, in his studies, he observed the many ways in which mothers interact with their children, explaining as follows: ‘In such instances, mothers most often see their role as supporting the child in achieving the intended outcome, entering only to assist or reciprocate or “scaffold” the action’ (Bruner, 1975, p. ![]() The teacher acts as a facilitator by introducing clear and helpful steps that work as a temporary bridge between the student and a new concept or skill. This is a support system that engages students in the learning process and helps them reach their learning objectives. ![]() You may have already heard about the educational strategy called scaffolding, a theory of instruction devised by Jerome Bruner in the 1970s. ![]() ‘ ZPD is the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers.’ (Vygotsky, 1978, p. We should always try to challenge our students by presenting them with tasks that are just outside their comfort zone but not impossible to do, as referred to by Lev Vygotsky and his zone of proximal development (ZPD). It’s easy to forget the different ways in which children learn and understand instruction, assuming, for example, that all first graders will manage a task in a similar way.Īs educators, it’s important to constantly think and plan how to actively support our students so that they can become confident users of English. However, in order to maintain this enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning, children need to feel supported as new linguistic challenges appear. Isn’t it wonderful when you see pure joy and excitement from a child learning English for the first time? Their eyes sparkle as they sing new songs and test out their first English greetings at the school gate! ‘What a child can do today with assistance, she will be able to do by herself tomorrow.’ Lev Vygotsky ![]()
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