Home

Services

Math and Instruction

About

scaffolding

  • Scaffolding for solving equations

          Solving equations can be very abstract and inaccessible for students. The photo below shows a scaffolded handout that introduces students to solving two-step linear equations. The students are introduced to buying a car: down payment and monthly payment. This provides meaning for the variable (x is the monthly payment), for the constant (down payment)…

  • Memory

    One model for memory is called the Information Processing Model or Dual Storage Model. Here’s the suggested process in this model in a class instruction context: Our senses receive stimuli. In the classroom students hear the teacher or a classmate talking, see the teacher’s notes or the note being passed to them, smell various things…

  • Color Coding a Table

    Color coding is a form of scaffolding. It can be used to highlight specific parts of a diagram or problem or to help differentiate between different parts. Above is my first attempt at using color coding. The 8th grade student simply could not interpret the table to answer the question – “explain the trend…”. I…

  • Chunking a Lesson

    Chunky peanut butter means you there are pieces or chunks of peanuts. The peanut butter is broken into distinct parts. Chunking in teaching means breaking a concept or lesson into distinct, smaller parts. This makes it easier for students to process the lesson and the concept. They focus on less content at one time which…

  • Task Analysis

    A teacher friend of mine in the ASD community shared an anecdote for me to share. Her son had trouble figuring out perimeter. He was counting the squares and didn’t want to count the corner squares twice. The solution? The squares were pieces of sod to fill in the inside while the outer sides of…

  • Sudoku Scaffolded

    I wrote in another post about a 7th grader with asperger’s who tested in math at a 1st grade or kindergarten level. I used scaffolding to show him how to do Sudoku puzzles. On the left is a simple version with one digit missing from the box. In the middle is a little more complicated…

  • Science Fair Project

    I once had a 7th grade student with asperger’s who tested at a 1st grade or kindergarten reading and math level. I helped guide him through his science fair project. I asked him what he was interested in. He replied “growing flowers.” I asked what helps make flowers grow. He responded with water and sunlight.…