Just like scaffoldings on a building provide a temporary support structure for necessary work, scaffolding in math gives students appropriate frameworks and levels of support to learn new concepts and skills.
What is scaffolding in math?
What is scaffolding? Scaffolding is appropriate (and necessary!) at any grade level or subject area. Scaffolding math instruction involves breaking up learning into chunks and providing a structure or tool with each portion of new math material.
Defining scaffolding
The term scaffolding was first introduced in the 1970s by psychologist Jerome Bruner, who defined scaffolding as “the steps taken to reduce the degrees of freedom in carrying out some task so that the child can concentrate on the difficult skill she is in the process of acquiring.”
Scaffolding is also closely tied to the zone of proximal development (ZPD) introduced by Lev Vygotsky. Simply put, the ZPD is the difference between what a student can do without help and what they can do with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner. In the ZPD, students can accomplish tasks with support that they cannot yet perform independently.
In modern times, the “I do, you do, we do” model is often synonymous with scaffolding.
Scaffolding versus differentiation
What’s the difference between scaffolding and differentiation? While similar, scaffolding gives students the necessary support to master a concept, while differentiation provides different types of lessons based on their abilities and current levels of understanding.
To scaffold, a teacher might provide students with a hundreds chart as a visual aid when performing calculations. On the other hand, to differentiate the lesson, the teacher might create three different versions of problems based on students’ levels of understanding and skills they need additional practice with.
Why scaffolding is key to math mastery
Since all math instruction builds on previously learned knowledge, scaffolding is important to help students become comfortable with new skills for eventual mastery. Students must develop a conceptual understanding of concepts before they can perform advanced work.
For example, to scaffold in math during an introductory lesson on multiplication, a teacher might connect to students’ prior knowledge of addition to help them visualize how multiplication is repeated addition. Another scaffold would be to pre-teach the students multiplication-related vocabulary (like “factor” and “product”) before they encounter any practice problems including those terms.
Scaffolding examples and strategies in math instruction
What are some other examples of scaffolding in math? Scaffolding strategies include:
- Breaking content into smaller chunks
- Activating students’ prior knowledge
- Leading with guided practice
- Providing visual aids or graphic organizers
- Pre-teaching vocabulary terms
- Incorporating physical manipulatives
- Holding a “think aloud” or classroom brainstorm
- Asking sequential questions
The importance of scaffolding in fractions instruction
Scaffolding is particularly important for fractions. For example, students must have a foundational understanding of fractions before they can add, subtract, or compare fractions.
When scaffolding with fractions, a teacher could start by chunking content into bite-sized segments while providing visual support (like a number line) to help students build an awareness and understanding of fraction magnitude. Once students become familiar with the number line, a teacher can gradually start introducing more complex tasks, such as adding and subtracting fractions on the number line.
How scaffolding in fractions learning works with Frax
Adaptive and game-based, ExploreLearning Frax uses the latest research to help students develop a conceptual understanding of fractions through engaging activities. Frax is a zero-entry program that allows all students to develop fractions knowledge and confidence as they complete carefully scaffolded missions.
Through scaffolded support and individualized instruction tailored to students’ levels of understanding, Frax helps all students reach grade-level proficiency. Teachers should use Frax before a fractions unit to scaffold understanding and accelerate instruction. Try Frax to enhance instruction and improve student learning.
“I love the scaffolding that Frax provides. Many of my 4th graders come in without any previous fraction knowledge. Frax fills in those gaps without me having to backtrack in class. I love the depth of the missions. Students get a visual example and vocabulary that encourages conceptualization.”
-Grade 4 Teacher. California Virtual Academies, CA
Breaking down complex concepts with micro-scaffolds
Frax uses the number line as the central representation tool to help students foster an understanding of fraction magnitude before performing advanced work with fractions.
From the first lesson in Frax, students work to understand fractions as numbers as they associate a fraction’s value with the length of a block model. Students then seamlessly transition to the number line representation, emphasizing the space between 0 and 1 and counting intervals to determine the denominator value.
“The children are so engaged with the work on Frax. Math is a positive experience and they are all so joyous when I announce that they use Frax. I love the carefully scaffolded learning.”
-Grade 3 Teacher. Berkeley County School District, SC
Conclusion: Scaffolding for better learning outcomes
A skyscraper can’t reach completion without scaffolding along the way, and math learning is no different. Students need thoughtful, developmentally appropriate support to practice new skills gradually.
Are you looking for pre-made scaffolding for fractions instruction? Experience Frax in your classroom with a free trial.
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