I have been involved as a parent, a special education teacher and an academic advisor in witnessing the success of an instructional technique called “scaffolding”. In the world of construction, scaffolding is a temporary structure used by workers while building, repairing or cleaning. There are teaching methods that serve a very similar purpose in education. These methods can be informal and spontaneous, or carefully crafted and prepared.
The informal approach begins with the teacher giving clear directions at the student’s current level of comprehension, perhaps beginning with a task the student has already completed. The movement is from material that is already familiar to new content. The teacher guides the class through completing part of the task, demonstrating, asking questions that lead the students to think about the process, thinking out loud along the way to model for the students, and then assigning individual work. Some teachers describe it simply as, “I do. We do. You do.”
At this point in the lesson, the teacher begins walking around the room to evaluate how each student is progressing, making suggestions, answering questions, and providing one on one assistance as needed. The instruction becomes individualized as the teacher is addressing the needs of each individual student. This is a less intrusive approach that can be easily accomplished in a small class with a narrow range in ability level. However, as classes become larger and the range in ability level gets wider, it becomes an increasingly difficult task. The dedicated teacher, committed to nurturing student success, is stretched too thin. The less dedicated teacher is more likely to give up. For children with special needs, this approach may not be as effective as one that is carefully prepared to meet the needs of the individual student.
The preparation begins well before the IEP meeting as information is being gathered by you, as the parent, and your child’s teacher on how your child learns, their strengths, challenges, what motivates them and what shuts them down. During the IEP meeting, observations and ideas are shared and specific learning challenges identified. Your child’s present level of performance is clearly stated using work samples and standardized test scores. Then goals are discussed, agreed on, and written that build on what your child can do with a clear plan on the supports or scaffolding that will lead from present level to desired achievement.
For example, the lesson objective is to write a cohesive paragraph with a clearly stated topic and three supporting ideas on a topic of the student’s choice. Your child is able to choose a topic to write about, but struggles with expressing ideas in writing. The greatest areas of difficulty are identified as organizing thoughts and providing supporting ideas. The starting point would be having your child select the topic for the assignment. After discussion, it is determined that your child responds well when provided with an organizational graphic that allows them to organize their thoughts and come up with supporting ideas. However, they are not able to create the graphic, or any other prewriting activity, without intensive support.
The first step may be working one on one to create an organizational graphic for the idea they want to write about and having the same level of support as they use the graphic as an outline to write a paragraph. It is decided whether the teacher or a classroom aide will provide that support in class or in a separate setting. It may also be decided to start the graphic in class and allow you to work with your child to complete it at home. You are part of the team and can provide some of the scaffolding.
The desired result is that your child will be able to complete the writing assignment on their own. Your child may begin with one on one support throughout the writing process and then move to writing with limited supervision after they have completed the prewriting activity with one on one support. Progress is measured and the plan tweaked as needed. As soon as it is observed that your child is ready to independently complete one more step in the process, the scaffolding is removed until your child is completing the task without any support.
The key is the communication between team members on everyone’s participation in supporting your child and implementing the plan. This can be accomplished through weekly emails or other agreed on forms of communication. The plan is carefully crafted, monitored and adjusted to enable your child to achieve academic success. It may even include accommodations such as allowing your child to have more time to complete assignments or using a word processor for writing assignments. That is part of a previous blog, “Which Accommodations and Modifications Are Best for Your Child?” To learn more about how you can support your child’s academic success, go to sped.solutions and sign up for a free, no obligation 30 minute consult.