Tues, April 2 11:45-12:45 KA 309 — J. Hunt
Wed, April 3 1:30-2:30 KA 309 — J. Sullivan (Workshop recording)
In this workshop, we’ll develop ways to adapt scaffolding techniques for speaking assignments to writing assignments.
Susan Ambrose and her co-authors define scaffolding as when “instructors temporarily relieve some of the cognitive load so that students can focus on particular dimensions of learning” (How Learning Works, p. 106).
In other words, we often design activities and assignments to focus on one aspect of a larger task, allowing students time to build skills one by one (rather than asking them to develop and demonstrate a whole set of skills at once).
The principle of scaffolding can be applied to individual assignments (breaking them into component parts); to assignment sequences (building from simpler to more complex assignments); or to classroom activities (such as having student do a “minute paper” or freewrite before engaging in class discussion).
Resources:
“What Kinds of Practice and Feedback Enhance Learning?” from Susan Ambrose, et al., How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 2010) (link to eBook via Gleeson library)
“Practicing” from James Lang, Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 2016) (link to eBook via Gleeson library)