ABSTRACT
Many teachers think that the rigor has been “watered down” if we need to support a student in a complex activity. When we ask students to work at rigorous levels, it is critical to provide scaffolding that is intentional and purposeful. Many students are not willing or ready to think critically and deeply unless prompted to do so. Even then, they may not know how to take surface-level thoughts and make them more abstract, creative or complex. The outdated practice of assigning and assessing work with little to no instruction in between is ineffective. Though there are numerous methods for scaffolding, this chapter focuses on five key areas: teaching through modeling; visual tools; deepening understanding; creating a toolbox of strategies; and working with special populations. There are four ways to help students deepen their understanding: concrete-representational-abstract; flesh it out (an in-depth analysis of a problem); simulations; and reading and writing guides.
