Providing scaffolded supports to increase student success

November 7, 2024 by ttacinfo

Take a minute to think about how an adult helps a child learn to ride a bike. He doesn’t put her on the bike and say, “There you go! Ride the bike!” Instead, he scaffolds the support in order to help her learn to ride her bike independently:

He starts with training wheels attached to the bike as she learns to ride it.
He gradually raises the training wheels as she becomes more skilled riding the bike.
When he notices she is riding the bike successfully, he removes the training wheels. Then, he holds onto the back of the seat as she rides the bike, helping her develop her balance.
After many practices, he lets go of the seat periodically to allow her to ride independently.
When he notices she does not need his hand on the back of her seat to ride, she is able to ride the bike without any assistance.

The adult knew a gap existed between the child’s ability to ride the bike independently and her current skill level. Implementing scaffolded supports helped to break down the task of riding a bike into smaller tasks so that the child could master each task before moving on to the next one.

What are scaffolded supports?

Scaffolded supports assist students to perform tasks they are unable to perform on their own and with a high rate of success (McLeskey et al., 2017; IRIS Center, n.d.; Council for Exceptional Children, n.d.). They are one of the high leverage practices (HLP #15) that can improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Like the adult in the example, teachers use scaffolded supports when a gap exists between what a student is able to understand and do independently compared to what he can understand and do with assistance (McLeskey et al., 2017). If a gap exists, scaffolded supports can be applied to help the student to reach the learning goals.

Scaffolded supports are structured and temporary, removed once the student no longer needs them (e.g., not holding onto the bike) (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024; The New Teacher Project, 2021; McLeskey et al., 2017). Additionally, providing scaffolded supports helps to reduce the cognitive load that can impact students when learning a new concept or skill. The supports help break down the complex tasks and strategies into smaller “chunks” that are more manageable for students as their brains process new content/information (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024).

How do students learn to use the scaffolded supports?

Teachers consider each student’s needs when determining the type of scaffolded support the student may require. Once the type of support is identified, students are explicitly taught how to use the strategy or to do the task. IRIS Center (n.d.) explains two important elements to keep in mind when teaching students how to use a scaffolded support:

Model: The teacher needs to model (i.e., demonstrate), while thinking aloud, each step of the task or strategy (i.e., scaffolded support) the student is learning (IRIS Center, n.d.; Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2012). For example, as a teacher writes a paragraph, he can model use of a mnemonic for paragraph writing (e.g., Topic sentence, Reasons, Explain, Ending) by “thinking aloud” as he uses the mnemonic to write. Each step is modeled several times for the student to increase his understanding of why and how use of the mnemonic helps him to remember the steps to writing an effective paragraph.
Practice: The teacher and the student work together to practice the strategy or task (IRIS Center, n.d.; Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2012). For example, while using the TREE mnemonic, the teacher says each step of TREE aloud and the student tells him what the step means as the teacher and student collaboratively write a paragraph. Then, as they collaboratively write additional paragraphs, the student says each step of the TREE mnemonic as they write.

After modeling and practice, the student is provided opportunities to work with a partner/small group to use the strategy (e.g., TREE mnemonic) or complete the task. Feedback is provided to assist him with mastering the task or strategy. Then, when the student demonstrates mastery of the task or strategy, he uses it independently while continuing to receive feedback from the teacher (Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2012).

As the student uses the scaffolded support independently, the teacher monitors the student’s ability to perform the required skill (e.g., paragraph writing) independently. Once the student demonstrates he no longer needs the support, the teacher develops a plan to systematically reduce the scaffolded support and release or transfer the responsibility to the student (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024; McLeskey et al., 2017; Archer & Hughes, 2011).

What are examples of scaffolded supports?

As teachers plan instruction and determine what students might need in order to reach the learning goals, they consider tasks or strategies (i.e., scaffolded supports) for their students. Aceves & Kennedy (2024) and McLeskey et al. (2017) suggest these categories for scaffolded supports:

Dialogue: This type of support is provided verbally to the student. Examples include verbal prompts, cues, questions, hints, verbal explanations, and informative feedback (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024; Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2012).
Materials: Scaffolded supports in this form can be graphic organizers, mnemonic devices, cue cards, anchor charts, concept maps, worked examples, written instructions for a task, checklists, etc. (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024; Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2012).
Technology: This type of support is provided through the use of technology. Examples include online and fillable graphic organizers, virtual manipulatives, online templates, etc. (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024).

Scaffolded supports benefit students, especially students with disabilities, because they “equip students with the tools they need not only to comprehend specific subject matter but also to become independent, self-directed learners” (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024, p. 114). As teachers plan instruction, it is important to consider what their students understand and can do independently; scaffolded supports may need to be considered to assist students with their learning and to be successful.

References

Aceves, T. C. & Kennedy, M. J. (Eds.). (2024). High-leverage practices for students with disabilities, 2nd edition. Council for Exceptional Children and CEEDAR Center.

Archer, A. & Hughes, C. (2011). Explicit instruction. The Guilford Press.

Council for Exceptional Children. (n.d.). HLP 15: Provide scaffolded supports. High Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities.

IRIS Center. (n.d.). Providing instructional supports: Facilitating mastery of new skills [Online module]. Vanderbilt Peabody College.

McLeskey, J., Barringer, M-D., Billingsley, B., Brownell, M., Jackson, D., Kennedy, M., Lewis, T., Maheady, L., Rodriguez, J., Scheeler, M. C., Winn, J., & Ziegler, D. (2017). High-leverage practices in special education. Council for Exceptional Children & CEEDAR Center.

Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (2012). Instructional scaffolding. In Instructional guide for university faculty and teaching assistants. Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
The New Teacher Project. (2021). Disrupting Barriers to strong instructional scaffolding: A toolkit for advancing mindsets, principles, practices, & conditions [Toolkit]. The New Teacher Project.

For more information, contact Chris Frawley ([email protected]), Program Specialist T/TAC at VCU.