Problem of Practice: How are teachers supporting students to be autonomous learners?
* What evidence is there of the gradual release of responsibility?
* What scaffolds are in place to enable or extend students?
BACKGROUND TO OUR PROBLEM OF PRACTICE
Scaffolding is an aspect of teaching that has regularly been a focus in our PoPs. We've found that teachers sometimes provide insufficient scaffolds to enable the students to perform the learning tasks. More frequently we find that teachers are over-scaffolding, thus taking away from the student the responsibility for thinking and learning. Scaffolding is a tricky skill!
Our previous rounds have included some great resources.
Scaffolding is an aspect of teaching that has regularly been a focus in our PoPs. We've found that teachers sometimes provide insufficient scaffolds to enable the students to perform the learning tasks. More frequently we find that teachers are over-scaffolding, thus taking away from the student the responsibility for thinking and learning. Scaffolding is a tricky skill!
Our previous rounds have included some great resources.
- In our page on teaching English you'll find a wonderful poster on scaffolding created by the teachers of Burwood PS.
- As part of our professional learning resources about Rigour & High Expectations Burwood PS 2021 there is a very thought-provoking blog by March Chubb about the dilemmas of scaffolding in Mathematics lessons.
- In our page of the importance of Student Talk GEPS 2020 you'll see a video of reading comprehension guru, David Pearson, scaffolding students in the video, "Rich Talk About Text"
THE PRE-READING
"Thirty- Five Years of the Gradual Release of Responsibility: Scaffolding Toward Complex and Responsive Teaching", S. Webb, D. Massey & K. Flajole, International Literacy Association, 2019. This article describes how the model of Gradual Release of Responsibility has evolved over time, as it applies to literacy learning. The authors argue that students' needs should drive how much GRR teachers use and when they use it. They propose a model of GRR that is flexible and where explicit teaching comes as a response to student difficulty rather than as a way to try to eliminate students'struggles.
"Thirty- Five Years of the Gradual Release of Responsibility: Scaffolding Toward Complex and Responsive Teaching", S. Webb, D. Massey & K. Flajole, International Literacy Association, 2019. This article describes how the model of Gradual Release of Responsibility has evolved over time, as it applies to literacy learning. The authors argue that students' needs should drive how much GRR teachers use and when they use it. They propose a model of GRR that is flexible and where explicit teaching comes as a response to student difficulty rather than as a way to try to eliminate students'struggles.
THE PRE-VIEWING
The video The Sweet Spot of Scaffolding: How to "Right-Size" the Task to Motivate—Not Frustratewith Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey discusses how scaffolds are not permanent and should be faded to increase student responsibility and ownership.
The video The Sweet Spot of Scaffolding: How to "Right-Size" the Task to Motivate—Not Frustratewith Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey discusses how scaffolds are not permanent and should be faded to increase student responsibility and ownership.
THE PRESENTATION Prepared by Carolyn Wallace-Whelan Download here: old_guildford_ps_2024_br.pdf
WHAT ARE OUR TAKE-AWAYS FROM THE READING & VIEWING?
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