Categories
Strategies

Scaffolding for English Language Learners

English language learners (ELLs) need strategic instructional scaffolding to be successful in the classroom. Like all students, ELLs need proper support to achieve their academic goals. This support is even more essential for ELLs since they must acquire English proficiency while reaching curriculum benchmarks and learning targets. Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) must support these students with scaffolding strategies. This section will focus on effective scaffolding strategies teachers can use to support ELLs.

Teachers, I challenge you to imagine moving to a foreign country as a child, without your immediate family, being thrust into a school where almost no one speaks your language, and trying to keep up with the other students in math, science, social studies, and their native language arts. This situation is precisely where our ELLs find themselves. So, teachers must find ways to support them. Otherwise, many will have a much more difficult experience in school, risking behavior problems and underperforming academically. Therefore, scaffolding is an essential element for supporting ELLs academically.

What is Scaffolding for ELLs?

The idea of scaffolding in education comes from how construction workers utilize scaffolding on their job sites. In the construction industry, builders use scaffolding to support themselves and reach heights safely while constructing bridges or tall buildings. In this manner, construction workers can accomplish their objectives safely through support where they would otherwise not have the capacity. Educational scaffolding similarly allows ELLs to achieve academic heights they otherwise would unlikely be able to attain.

ELLs learn best when they have assistance from teachers to complete tasks beyond their capabilities to complete them by themselves by expanding on what they already know and lessons they have already mastered. As ELLs begin to master the content, teachers can start to remove the scaffolding, similar to how builders remove their supports, as the tall building or bridge no longer needs the scaffolding for its construction workers. After the ELLs master one area of content and the scaffolds are removed, they can move on to another with assistance again from the scaffolding.

1. Modeling

It is usually much more productive to show students rather than instruct them. Suppose you have ever needed to work on your car or computer or do anything remotely complicated or new. In that case, it is much easier to learn how to do it by watching someone else than listening to them describe how to do it or read directions. When I work on my car, I watch an instructional video online. For example, is it easier to read guides or watch an instructional video on YouTube?

Teachers should model the learning concepts as much as possible to help all students in their classrooms, especially ELLs.

Think-Aloud

Think-aloud sessions demonstrate to the students how good readers interpret a text and track understanding while reading. In this scaffolding strategy, before the students read the text themselves, the teacher reads the passage aloud, repeatedly stopping to give commentary on their thoughts about the text that may be difficult for students.

Here are some questions students should ask themselves before the think-aloud exercise:

  • What do I already know about the topic?
  • What do I think I’m going to learn?

Here are some questions students should ask themselves during the exercise:

  • What more can I do to better my understanding?
  • Do I understand what I just read?

Here are some of the questions they should ask themselves after the exercise:

  • What were the most important points?
  • What new information did I learn?

Teachers must continue to model during the think-aloud exercise by asking the questions above aloud while reading the passage. Also, teachers should model rereading complex sentences or words that students may struggle to understand. Likewise, teachers should be sure to make predictions using context clues. After the modeling is complete, allow the students to read the passage in groups or with a partner before individually reading it.

2. Activate Prior Knowledge

For best learning results, teachers should build on prior knowledge and understanding.

If you want to teach someone a new skill, they need to expand on the knowledge they already have acquired. For example, if you expect to show a child how to hang a picture, you would build on his prior knowledge of how to use a hammer. Therefore, the teacher must learn students’ knowledge by asking about their experiences and ideas to build on what they already know. These questions help students connect past experiences to the new topic and connect it to their background, increasing engagement.

Useful prior knowledge activation strategies:

  • K-W-L Charts
  • Anticipation Guides
  • Brainstorming Webs
  • Think-Pair-Share
  • Quick Writes

With the teacher’s assistance, students will connect their past experiences to the new content to make the learning meaningful for them.

3. Promote Classroom Interaction

It is an essential part of the learning process for most students to discuss new topics to gain a better understanding of the new material. This discussion is vital for ELLs to learn a new topic, interact with their classmates, and practice their English listening and speaking skills.

Turn & Talk

Turn and talk refers to the standard strategy teachers have used for years that encourages students to engage each other in discussions of new topics. In this strategy, generally, the teacher provides students with a prompt and has them discuss their knowledge of the topic with a partner. For this strategy to be successful, both participants must speak and listen. The teacher should monitor the discussions and offer input and suggestions as needed. This is a great strategy for ELLs since it does not require the student to speak in front of the entire class, which may intimidate them. It allows them to practice speaking, listening, learning, and sharing their ideas with a partner, which is much less intimidating.

Useful interaction strategy links:

4. Pre-Teach Vocabulary

Pre-teaching vocabulary is one of the most critical steps for scaffolding ELLs learning. This step does not mean having the students define vocabulary words. It is much more than that. Before any lesson begins in any subject, be sure to pre-teach the vocabulary necessary for the students to understand the task or new material. The teacher must pre-teach the essential lesson vocabulary by utilizing word games or diagrams that will allow the student to memorize the meaning of the words permanently. Remember, people learn and retain most information visually. Therefore, students will learn vocabulary words quicker and more precisely if the teacher presents them visually.

An excellent technique for pre-teaching new words is to have students fill out a vocabulary chart that requires the students to draw pictures with examples of the vocabulary words.

Here are a couple of links to worksheets for the vocabulary chart:

https://www.continentalpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Draw-a-Picture.pdf

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Vocabulary-Chart-FREEBIE-834275

Picture dictionaries are useful tools for teaching vocabulary as well. If they are not readily available in your school district, you can petition your school administration to acquire them. They can easily order them online or at most big bookstores.

5. Visual Aids

As stated previously, we mostly learn and retain information visually. This fact is even more applicable for ELLs who may not understand spoken or written language as well as their classmates. Therefore, it is vital that teachers use as many visual aids in their classrooms to assist ELLs’ understanding of new concepts.

Here are some useful visual aid ideas:

  • Pictures and drawings
  • Charts and diagrams
  • Graphic organizers
  • Manipulatives
  • Video clips

It is important to remember that these resources and scaffolding strategies are valuable tools to assist students when learning new material in lessons. Remember, teachers should remove this scaffolding appropriately once the ELLs no longer need them to learn new things.

By tesolclinic

Randy L. Bradley has been an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and teacher coach for 16 years in a diverse school district in Southeast Louisiana. He has a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, Masters in Education in Teaching English, and Secondary Social Studies Teacher Certification and ESL Certification in Louisiana.