Instructional Playbook

Scaffolding

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Increase Your Impact

Scaffolding is the intentional support structure designed to maximize access to grade-level concepts and tasks. The purpose of a scaffold is to provide learners with engaging learning tasks that build competence and confidence as they productively struggle with rigorous grade-level content (TNTP, 2021). Additionally, scaffolding is a means to provide ALL learners access and opportunity. Planning effective scaffolds begins with evaluating the expectations of content standards, how learners will demonstrate learning, and evidence of individualized needs and assets. The complexity of the content and the tasks can be made accessible to each learner by designing scaffolds that make learning visible through Writing, Inquiry, Speaking and listening, and/or Reading and viewing (WISR). Considering scaffolds through a WISR lens supports the cognitive or linguistic demand in order to maintain the rigor of the standard. Learners thrive when routines are established in the classroom. Choosing a handful of scaffolds to use consistently: provides a sense of structure and predictability which reduce potential anxiety, enhances focus and engagement, promotes independence and responsibility, and facilitates smooth transitions. Unplanned scaffolds can be added because learners already know the routine of that scaffold (e.g., you provide a sentence frame and realize it is still not enough, so you add gestures with modeling for the sentence frame). Just as scaffolding on a building is removed as it nears completion, a scaffold can be gradually adapted or faded as a learner acquires and applies a skill or task. Sometimes the same scaffold may be necessary when teaching new or more advanced skills.

Maximize

Anticipating student needs in order to best support the rigor of the content or standard Including peer collaboration and cooperative learning to co construct ideas Optimizing language use by repeating words/phrases, including gestures/visuals, and/or providing more talk time for processing between peers Overly relying on one type of scaffold Simplifying language and texts so much that the grade level or academic rigor is compromised

Minimize

High Yielding scaffolds can be found on the next pages. It is not an exhaustive list. The Implementation Toolbox includes links to different scaffolds and resources for implementation.

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