How might Ms. Price provide help to meet the individual needs of all her students, including those with disabilities?

Page 6: Scaffolding Tips

Error Detection and Correction

Teachers should model the process of error detection and correction as part of the scaffolding process. This is beneficial for several reasons:

• Students understand what they should be doing.
• Teachers can model “stuckness.” They simulate getting stuck and model how to talk themselves through the problem rather than simply giving up.
• Students learn that it’s okay to make a mistake, so long as they understand why they made it and determine how to correct it.

Use With Other Techniques

As we have learned, scaffolding can be used in almost any instructional area (i.e., math, language arts, science). It can also be used across age groups to teach skills that range from printing letters, to writing in cursive, to writing a five-paragraph essay, to writing a research paper. Scaffolding can also be combined with other successful instructional techniques, such as those involving cooperative groups or peer tutors. For example, a teacher might create heterogeneous reading groups in which she would intentionally include students of various reading levels. Those students with a better understanding of the strategy would provide support, or scaffolding, for those who were experiencing difficulty. The group as a whole would be responsible for using the strategy. The same procedure could be used with peer tutors. In either case, teachers should remember that it is critical to provide support and model steps when needed.

Remember, too, that various scaffolding techniques described in this module can be used in combination. For example, material scaffolding can be used in conjunction with task scaffolding. As you saw in this module, Mrs. Gardner introduced the COPS strategy through task scaffolding. She also implemented material scaffolding when she hung the COPS poster on the wall as a visual reminder and guide. Similarly, Ms. Price combined content scaffolding with material scaffolding. She first taught her students how to write essays by using a word-web strategy and familiar content. For later essays, she provided a handout of a blank word web for them to use. There are other ways to combine these approaches, depending on factors such as the needs of the teacher and the students, as well as the task or strategy being taught.