Scaffolding

Scaffolding as a Teaching Strategy

Scaffolding is an approach that supports students as they develop problem-solving and independent study skills (Pearson, 1996). Scaffolds are forms of support that the teacher provides to help students bridge the gap between their current ability level and the intended learning goal (Rosenshine and Meister, 1992).

The following six steps employ scaffolding to teach higher-order cognitive strategies:

1. Present the new cognitive strategy. The teacher introduces the strategy concretely, using a list of steps. Then the teacher models the strategy, including all “thinking” and “doing” steps. The steps should be posted for easy reference.
   
   
2. Regulate difficulty during guided practice. Students practice the new strategy using simplified materials. Students are guided carefully by the teacher through each step with the teacher completing the difficult parts with the students as necessary.
   
   
3. Provide varying contexts for student practice. Under the teacher’s direction, students practice the strategies on actual classroom tasks. The teacher begins by leading the practice, but ultimately allows the students to carry out the practice individually or in small groups.
   
   
4. Provide feedback. The teacher provides feedback by using evaluative checklists that are carefully explained to the students. Students eventually evaluate their own performance using these checklists.
   
   
5. Increase student responsibility. Gradually, the teacher requires students to practice all the steps together on their own. Prompts and models are diminished, complexity and difficulty or materials are increased, and peer support is decreased. The teacher checks for student mastery before proceeding to independent practice.
   
   
6. Provide independent practice. Providing extensive practice, the teacher helps the students apply what they have learned to new situations (Friend and Bursuck, 1999; Rosenshine and Meister, 1992).