Using scaffolds to help support working memory

Summary

The video discusses the importance of scaffolding in education, emphasizing how it offloads cognitive demands onto external resources, allowing students to focus on key learning. Examples include graphic organizers, task plans, and verbal prompts. It highlights the need for scaffolds to be tailored to individual students, as some may require more support than others. Teachers are encouraged to evaluate working memory demands and gradually reduce scaffolding as students gain independence. The ultimate goal is to provide just enough support to help students succeed and remove scaffolding once they have mastered the content.

Takeaways

• 😀 Scaffolding offloads cognitive demands, allowing pupils to focus more on key learning.
• 😀 Visual scaffolds include graphic organizers, models, diagrams, and concept maps.
• 😀 Task plans at St Matthews help children, especially those with attention and memory issues, work independently.
• 😀 Task plans break down activities into smaller, manageable chunks for easier comprehension.
• 😀 Verbal scaffolds can include teaching assistants reminding students of strategies or reteaching content in small groups.
• 😀 It’s important to evaluate the working memory demands of tasks, especially when content is unfamiliar or complex.
• 😀 Scaffolds should be designed to support students by mapping out task steps and addressing potential challenges.
• 😀 In writing tasks, scaffolds like writing frames and key vocabulary help students with structure and content.
• 😀 Scaffolding should be tailored to the individual needs of students, with some requiring more support than others.
• 😀 Scaffolding should always be temporary, gradually reducing support as students gain independence and proficiency.
• 😀 Teachers must carefully assess when to remove scaffolding, ensuring students can manage tasks on their own.

Q & A

What is the purpose of scaffolding in education?

Scaffolding offloads cognitive demands onto external resources, allowing pupils to focus more on key learning and experience success.

Can you give examples of visual scaffolds used in the classroom?

Examples of visual scaffolds include graphic organizers, modeled examples of work, diagrams, and concept maps.

What is a task plan, and how does it support students?

A task plan is a scaffolding device that helps children work independently by breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps. It is especially helpful for children with attention and memory difficulties.

How do verbal scaffolds support students?

Verbal scaffolds involve a teacher or teaching assistant reminding a student of strategies they've previously learned, or reteaching small groups of students.

Why is it important to evaluate the working memory demands of a learning activity?

Evaluating working memory demands helps ensure that tasks are appropriately designed to avoid overwhelming students with unfamiliar content and complex elements, making learning more manageable.

How can scaffolding be designed to support students in a writing task?

For a writing task, scaffolding could include providing a writing frame to help structure the article, offering content suggestions, and supplying key vocabulary for students to use.

Why should scaffolding not be a one-size-fits-all approach?

Different students have varying levels of foundational knowledge, so some may need little to no scaffolding, while others may require more. Tailoring scaffolding to individual needs is crucial for effective learning.

What is the risk of providing scaffolding when it's not needed?

Providing unnecessary scaffolding can increase cognitive demands rather than reduce them, potentially hindering students' learning rather than helping.

What does the phrase 'just enough and just in time support' mean in the context of scaffolding?

'Just enough and just in time support' refers to providing the right amount of scaffolding at the right moment, offering assistance when it's most beneficial but removing it once the student can work independently.

When should scaffolding be removed during the learning process?

Scaffolding should be removed once students have mastered key aspects of the content and gained experience with completed work examples, as this is when they are ready to work independently.