Pam Grossman • Stanford University, Stanford, CA • Curriculum and Instruction in English
The Course: Scaffolding for Student Learning
The Unit: Preparing for Student-Centered Discussions
The Assignment: Two Facets of Learning from Experience

Introduction

The Class

 

The Context

  • Students
  • Program
  • Institution

Focusing on Students

 

 

The Course: Scaffolding for Student Learning

Instructional Scaffolding

One of the key concepts underlying this entire sequence of Curriculum & Instruction in English is the principle of instructional scaffolding.  Based on the work of Vygotsky, Bruner, and others, we define instructional scaffolding as the support provided by the teacher as a student tackles new and more difficult learning tasks.  This support can take a number of forms, including curricular supports, explicit instruction on features of the task, models of the finished task, and feedback.  We first introduce the concept of instructional scaffolding early in the summer quarter.  In addition to having students read an article by Arthur Applebee and Judith Langer on instructional scaffolding (Applebee & Langer, 1983), we teach a model lesson that demonstrates some of the core principles of scaffolding. 

The summer quarter of C&I focuses on the teaching of writing.  As we teach students about the writing process, we return to the principles of instructional scaffolding by having students analyze common writing assignments and what students would need to know in order to complete these assignments successfully.  Drawing on the work of George Hillocks (1995), we direct their attention to how they sequence instruction that helps students develop their writing at different stages of the writing process.  We then ask them to design their own writing assignment and create an instructional sequence that supports students as they complete this assignment.  By the end of the summer, we expect students to have a rough understanding of the core principles of scaffolding and how these play out in writing instruction. 

The unit on discussions of literature, taught during fall quarter, returns to the principles of instructional scaffolding in the context of the teaching of literature and discussion.

 

Applebee, A.N., & Langer, J.A.  (1983).  Instructional scaffolding: Reading and writing as natural language activities.  Language arts, 60(2), 168-175.

Hillocks, G. (1995). Teaching writing as reflective practice. New York, N.Y.: Teachers College Press.