This week the topic that has
caught my eye, and has in fact even veered my attention away from the topic of
'growth-mindset' slightly, was the topic of 'scaffolding'. This topic has
caused to me to really sit back and reflect on how this method of scaffolding can
be fine-tuned to precisely meet the needs of each classroom, as well as each
individual student within the classroom. This week in class we were introduced
to a card trick, and from there we were asked to attempt to figure out the
underlying process behind the trick that makes it work every time! Now,
depending on one's level of mathematical skills, this activity would be appear
to be really fun, while at the same time challenging and interesting. However,
that is the point...it is dependent on the level one is at in terms of their
mathematical skills. Therefore, rather than the activity being the perfect
blend of fun, challenging and interesting, it could end up being far too
difficult and this may actually lead to a certain amount of frustration, stress,
anxiety and discouragement. This is why the topic of scaffolding came to mind.
Scaffolding is an instructional technique that is used to slowly build up the
understanding of students, as well as their confidence, and eventually it includes
an aspect of gradually releasing more and more of the work load to the student
until finally they are fully competent and independent individuals.
Now, the problem arises for me when I ask myself what the best way of going about doing that is, especially when I have to teach an entire class of anywhere from 20-30 student, while still being able to cater to the needs of the individual. The reason why this is so important to me is because I fear that if I were to start teaching a topic to the class and then try to engage the class in an activity that is intended to be fun as well as educationally beneficial, if I am not aware of the levels that my students are at, the activity may be well received by some students, but may also cause a lot of frustration and anxiety for others. Therefore, I am really interested in learning more about how exactly I can go about using the scaffolding technique with each individual student, while at the same time being able to address the class as a whole and not become isolated into many fragments within the classroom.
I know this does have to do with instilling a growth mindset into my students, but I do want to be prepared for situations that are not necessarily ideal, in which I do not have an entire classroom filled with students who embody the growth mindset characteristic. That way I am more prepared to deal with any, and everything!
Before I conclude for this week, I did have some final thoughts I wanted to share on the topic of growth mindset, but I think it was already articulated quite well by Astro-physicist, Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson and this video.
Now, the problem arises for me when I ask myself what the best way of going about doing that is, especially when I have to teach an entire class of anywhere from 20-30 student, while still being able to cater to the needs of the individual. The reason why this is so important to me is because I fear that if I were to start teaching a topic to the class and then try to engage the class in an activity that is intended to be fun as well as educationally beneficial, if I am not aware of the levels that my students are at, the activity may be well received by some students, but may also cause a lot of frustration and anxiety for others. Therefore, I am really interested in learning more about how exactly I can go about using the scaffolding technique with each individual student, while at the same time being able to address the class as a whole and not become isolated into many fragments within the classroom.
I know this does have to do with instilling a growth mindset into my students, but I do want to be prepared for situations that are not necessarily ideal, in which I do not have an entire classroom filled with students who embody the growth mindset characteristic. That way I am more prepared to deal with any, and everything!
Before I conclude for this week, I did have some final thoughts I wanted to share on the topic of growth mindset, but I think it was already articulated quite well by Astro-physicist, Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson and this video.
Hey Mohammed,
ReplyDeleteYou brought forth some very interesting points ! I like how you brought up the idea of scaffolding in the classroom, but you also recognized some of the struggled. We are all in the same situation as you are, and all I can say it that through experience and practice, you will know how is the right way to scaffold even when dealing with a group of 20-30 students. Thanks for sharing!
Mohammed, I agree with your concern about the activity being too challenging for some students, causing them to become frustrated or anxious. You mentioned wanting to learn more about scaffolding to support student learning, and right away one type of scaffolding that came to mind was macro scaffolding, where the teacher specifically orders the lessons in a unit so that they can be sure that students have certain prior knowledge and a firm understanding of the concepts before introducing a more difficult challenge that requires these concepts. For example, when we were further examining the underlying math behind the card trick, as a teacher I could have just previously done a lesson on factoring, so that the students would be able to understand the explanation of the card trick better.
ReplyDeleteHey Mohammed!
ReplyDeleteI liked that your comparison between class structure and growth mindset. I thought you made some very creative points for your blog this week, including catering to the needs of the individual in a class of 20-30. When you are making an activity to engage the class, think of it in terms of being educationally beneficial as well as accommodating and modifying your lesson in accordance to your students 'levels'. I understand why you put this point in your blog, as when your whole class believes that they have a positive learning space, students as a whole are more likely to develop the growth mindset as we discussed in our class. Overall great post!