Overview
The lecture discusses various scaffolding techniques teachers use to support student learning, focusing on peer collaboration, graphic organizers, time management aids, and previewing questions.
Peer Collaboration & Reading Buddies
- Buddies pair a weaker student with a more advanced one to help explain information in a kid-friendly way.
- Like-level buddies are used to challenge students and extend their thinking.
- Peer discussions in reading buddies help with decoding skills and boost reading comprehension without stigma.
Graphic Organizers
- Graphic organizers visually display information to help students absorb and organize content.
- Students learn and use multiple graphic organizers by the end of the year, eventually creating their own.
- Venn diagrams are used for comparing and contrasting, such as students comparing themselves to story characters.
- Graphic organizers can help categorize and simplify information for higher-level students.
Time Management Aids
- Time management aids help students break large projects into smaller, manageable tasks.
- Timelines and agenda books assist students in planning project completion by specific deadlines.
- Forms and structured schedules particularly benefit students with learning disabilities or poor time management skills.
Previewing Questions
- Previewing lesson questions gives students advance notice of discussion topics, leading to richer classroom conversations.
- Previewing is helpful for students who need extra time to think about possible answers before class.
Effective Use and Monitoring of Scaffolding
- Teachers must monitor student progress to apply scaffolding techniques effectively.
- Gathering feedback on scaffolding use helps improve future teaching strategies.
- Scaffolding is temporary and should be removed as students gain confidence and independence.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Scaffolding — Temporary support to assist student learning, gradually removed as competence increases.
- Graphic Organizer — A visual tool for structuring and understanding information.
- Reading Buddy — A peer partner who collaborates to improve reading skills.
- Previewing Questions — Sharing discussion or lesson questions before class to encourage preparation.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Prepare agenda books or timelines for current projects.
- Practice using graphic organizers like Venn diagrams.
- Think about previewed questions before the next lesson.