In construction, a scaffold is a temporary structure used by workers to access heights and areas that are hard to get to. This is exactly what educators are doing when they scaffold for students. A student is having a hard time reaching a new height—understanding a concept, answering a question, or completing an activity—and the teacher provides just enough support to allow the student to succeed.
As part of Quality of Feedback within the CLASS tool, we want to see that the teacher is providing feedback that expands learning and understanding. Scaffolding is an excellent strategy for supporting both individuals and an entire class, and can come in many forms.
Let’s look at one scenario seen often in a preschool classroom and five ways a teacher could scaffold the student’s experience.
A child is playing with blocks and is frustrated that the tower keeps falling down.
In each of these scenarios, the teacher is allowing the student to perform at a higher level than they would be able to on their own. These same strategies work whether the student is stuck while counting, sorting, creating a plan, or opening a snack.
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