What is Scaffolding?

Oct 14, 2017
3 min read

This question first REALLY hit me on 4th Oct when I had lessons with 2IN making the Straw Flutes.

Essentially the 1h lesson went like this:

1245-1250: explain instructions for the straws and kids are already asking if they can start and to show them the measurements.

1250-1300: show slide of measurements and asks kids if they need me to demonstrate. Kids chorus "yes!" and I decide to show them using the Visualizer (for the previous classes I only told them to take out their ruler and show me where the .5 is) step by step because having taught this class eng remedial, i get the feeling that they are very structured, step-by-step students. I repeat this demonstration 3 times.

1300-idkwherethetimewent: I give out straws and tell them to begin. I tell students I will walk around and check, and tell those who need help to raise their hands. After about 5min about 10 students are raising their hands. I decide to tell all 10 of them to come in front and I demonstrate to them again. They nod their heads. I am suspicious and get them to try to measure in front of me. Most of them have difficulty. They look at me with a blur look and I look back at them somewhat exasperatedly as I don't know how else to teach them. I ask them "didn't you learn this before???" and they shake their heads. (It is at this point that I start to wonder if P2s have actually learnt decimal places. It has crossed my mind when I was trying this with my first class, 2CA, but they had no problems at all).

idkwherethetimewent-darnimlate: Xan carelessly snips off a bit of straw and this straw hits Rushang's eye. Rushang is alright but very angry, he retaliates and Xan retaliates back. After a few retaliations I notice and am shocked because Rushang looks ANGRY. I raise my voice and tell everyone to "GET BACK TO YOUR SEATS NOW". Everyone complies and I make Rushang (who is now angry-crying) sit down while I scold the class.

I tell them to pack up and line up (so the class is also in a mess and they have to pick up their straws etc) and hurry them down, but it is too late, apparently. 3 students miss their bus and the GO has to call the bus back. (for which I am super grateful for).

I go back, exhausted from the day's activities (because it was frazzling BECAUSE i did not expect it) and this question WHY pops into my head.

I think about it and think about the teachers teaching the various classes and how different each class is, and the question seems to point towards the issue of SCAFFOLDING.

Hence the ZPD.

So on a really simplistic level, I could then decide to scaffold them better next time.

But I also cannot help but wonder, "how come the rest of the classes had no problem, if they also hadn't learned?" At P2, they are not yet streamed.

Looking at the above ZPD diagram, it would mean that the other classes had a wider bandwidth for Level of Actual Development (LAD). Even though in the syllabus, they were all progressing at the same pace, the students from the other classes were able to understand the instructions and complete it.

Which begs the next question- knowing that children have a huge potential to develop and change their brains, how do we as educators increase their LAD bandwidth, especially while they are still young?

Found this image (below) and found it really applicable to my question.

I think that we have to give more opportunities for students to explore and learn independently. Although this means that we are not in control of the learning (as some students will learn in different ways i.e. their path of finding the correct method may not be what you want), we have to learn to let go and say "it's okay- yes, you may do it that way too", although we feel that a certain way is the best.