Something Inspiring Me: Scaffolding for SEND students
- Elizabeth Bowey
- Feb 7
- 2 min read
After observing a lesson which was dominated by worksheets and filling in, I have been pondering the fine line between support, scaffolding and enabling passive participation. This led me to some really interesting bits I wanted to share.
This opinion piece from the EEF is only three minutes long, but is a very honest reflection on how we need to think more carefully both about how and why we scaffold for our SEND students, but almost more importantly, how we take that away. It utilises the EEF’s ‘5 a day’ model for supporting SEND students. Scaffolding is one of these five evidence-based approaches—a ‘Five-a-day’—that the EEF’s guidance report recommends to support pupils with SEND to make good academic progress.
Of course, as the EEF is just fantastic, it has broken down how we as teachers should really use this, with an evidence informed ‘Scaffolding Tool’ which you can see a snap shot of below and download here
I always lead a session with Graduate Assistants and Career Converters in my school on adaptive teaching and explain to them how far we have moved from the ‘three differentiated worksheets’ that was the go to differentiation/adaptive teaching when I started teaching. I think there is a real risk that we can lower our expectations of students by leaning on worksheets; but I am also aware that slow writing and processing speeds can lead to a feeling that there is ‘wasted’ learning time with students copying information down. I love the idea of 'verbal scaffolds' as shown by the EEF scaffolding tool above. There is no panacea here (I think?) - but instead a healthy balance. Students need to learn to write down information in full, they need to be made to think, but they also need to be supported. An increasing number of my students are using technology to help them write more quickly and legibly with the support of our Inclusion team - maybe this is the panacea?
I love this article from Teacher Toolkit as it is honest in its confrontational stance. I always start the session with trainees discussing it. I choose this article because I want to reinforce that we cannot differentiate every lesson, for every student. Instead we need to prioritise knowing our students really well. We need to build an understanding of what will help them over the long term, rather than just handing out gap fill worksheets as a way of simplifying the lesson. One of my top teaching and learning quotes will always be ‘memory is the residue of thought’ by Daniel T Willingham. Without thinking, that information just will not stick. We cannot lower our thinking expectations for our SEND students, but we do need to support them to thrive.
What do you think about worksheets?
Have you thought about how you use scaffolding for your SEND students?
Are you seeing a rise in students using devices to make their notes?
Is there a downfall to this?
Some things to read;
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