Scaffolding for Success

Book excerpt: Support and scaffolding are critical for moving students to higher levels of learning. But how do we ensure we’re giving the “right” work and not just extra work? Barbara R. Blackburn has the answers in this important new book. She provides a plethora of strategies for helping students create meaning and become more independent so they can truly learn at rigorous levels. First, she examines the basics of rigor and scaffolding and uncovers the role of planning in scaffolding, including the difference between acceleration and remediation and examples of differentiating instruction with scaffolding. Then she demonstrates a variety of ways to add scaffolding into classroom discourse, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing across the curriculum. Ideas and strategies are provided for different subject areas and levels, so you can easily apply them to your own setting. And finally, she shows the roles of formative assessment and social emotional learning in scaffolding. With this practical book, you’ll have a toolkit of great ideas at your disposal as you foster a learning environment of high expectations and success.