SCAFFOLDED LEARNING. WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?

Scaffolded learning is new to me. I mean the name is new, the concept is as old as the hills. Every teacher worth their salt will know that you need a good foundation to build upon. And you build upon prior learning. This is what scaffolded learning does. It uses a variety of instructional techniques to help students build upon their learning and eventually become independent learners. Teachers can tailor the amount of support they give to the students so that they can reach their goals as independent learners. 

I recently looked at a Cross Curricular Scaffolded Science Activities on BIOMES made by my friend Nikki from Creative Inclusion. The product is geared to Grades 1 through 5 and is very visual which I love.

As the name implies this resource builds up a student’s understanding in discreet steps.  As an example Nikki has words banks which develop into fluency strips which then lead onto fluency and matching strips. These culminate in writing prompts. It’s a really clever way of building upon a student’s knowledge and prior learning. Naturally it can also quickly identify learning gaps. It accommodates the beginning writer through to the more advanced writer. Students can also make their own journals. 

Nikki has included a wide variety of biomes to choose from, you’ll never be stuck for choice. This is important for the students. One student might get very excited about the rainforest, for another it might be the desert. Variety is the spice of life! There’s a fact card for each biome with, wait for it, QR codes! I love QR codes and so does every student I know. The fact cards are great for use in sorting activities. 

The QR codes link to interactive videos which the students watch to reinforce their understanding. This is a great alternative way for students to form an opinion and is especially useful for students who struggle with print.

I can imagine that it took Nikki a long time to create this resource. It’s a fantastic resource that makes learning fun. You can connect with Nikki at her store on Teachers Pay Teachers, her blog or on Facebook.