Scaffolding: Supporting Students in the Classroom

It's a new year of school, which means I'm back to thinking about how to help all of my students be successful in the coming year. I'm transitioning to teaching high school. Although it isn't entirely different from middle school, it presents new challenges. Looking to the coming year, I want to make sure I'm giving my students all of the tools they need to be successful in my room. I remember talking about scaffolding multiple times throughout my college education courses. Below, I am outlining three of my favorite supports for students that I like to include in my teaching and would like to develop further this year.

Opportunity to Redo Assignments- I firmly believe that students do not learn on a timeline. Every student picks up concepts at a different rate. If I expect them to all master a concept at the same time, I'm not acknowledging learning differences. When a student hands in an assignment that they struggled with, I always provide feedback and the opportunity to do the assignment again. This gives each student the time they need to fully grasp a concept, makes assignments low pressure, and is in line with many students' IEP's. It is a simple way to create an environment that isn't restrictive.

Visuals in the Classroom- Between students who are English Language Learners and students who need extra time to remember vocabulary, having content in posters and handouts allows students to have easy access to material they may need. I keep solfege syllables and basic vocabulary on my walls, so students always have access to what they need. The repetition of using visual cues also leads to better retention. I also make handouts that I offer to all students to keep with their music in case they need to refer back to a certain idea. It allows everyone to access what they need to be successful with vocabulary and concepts.

Check-In for Understanding- I love using simple check-ins as formative assessments in my class. My favorite two are asking students to show me on a scale of one to five how they are feeling about a concept. I tell them one means they are really struggling and five means they're ready to teach the subject themselves. I do the same with thumbs up and down. Their thumb can be up, down or anywhere in between. It allows for a quick check-in that is low pressure. I can then see which of my students are struggling to address their needs more specifically as time goes on.

These aren't all of the supports I plan to use in my classroom, but are ones that I find lean in to my strengths as a teacher. I am excited to continue to grow in these scaffolds as well as others I will strengthen this year as time goes on. My goal is to make sure all of my students feel safe to learn and make mistakes in my classroom, and I'm confident that addressing each learner will only help in this.