Use of Pictures to Support Understanding
SCAFFOLDING
In the UK, scaffolding on buildings usually involves the use of rigid materials. In Hong Kong, bamboo is used for scaffolding. Bamboo is a flexible material which supports the development of a new structure.
The main aim of scaffolding in educational terms is to advance skills and abilities. It is does not mean that the learner is supported within a task without making progress in terms of their skills.
Some suggestions………
- READING
Use of pictures to support understanding
Pre-teach key terms
Discuss subject matter
Relate subject matter to personal experience
Paired reading
Reading aloud
Revisit familiar texts
Use texts which reflect diverse cultural backgrounds
Use of taped material/dual language resources
Story maps/diagrams/marked texts
Directed activities related to texts
Questioning and use of peer models to exemplify how to express understanding
Use of additional adults to go over texts, to question and to clarify meaning and contextual matters
- WRITING
Story maps (labelled)
Writing based on personal experience/stories which have been shared and discussed
Pictures & question prompts to support guided writing
Discussion so that pupils hear words/phrase/sentences that could be used for writing and so that they are clear about the task
Writing frames
Activities involving making up sentences with key sight vocabulary (whole class & small group)
Phrase banks on whiteboards/sheets
Oral feedback
Models of writing
Cloze/gap filler exercises (e.g. Clicker 4/5)
- SPEAKING
Rehearsal time in small group situations
Time to stand back, listen & absorb models of language before being asked to speak, e.g. in circle time
Oral feedback (e.g. couching short chunks of English into sentence form,reordering sentences, using specific verbs/nouns to replace vague terms such as ‘thingy’, etc.)
Role play
Grouping with clear models of spoken English
Visual prompts (e.g. pictures, story sack items)
Repetition & reinforcement of key terms, structures, language functions.
Games (matching & sorting games, action rhymes, etc.)
Talking through about recent personal experience/first hand activities
Questioning to clarify details (who/what/where/when)
Checking and summarising (e.g. So first you…then after that you…is that right?)
- LISTENING
Regular use of visuals/concrete referents/gesture/demonstration
Repetition
Use of active listening tasks, e.g. draw a tree next to the house/ put the red circle under the green square, Simon Says, specific instructions in PE using locational vocabulary, action games & rhymes (e.g. parachute games), lining up (If you are wearing/If your name begins with/if your birthday is in/if you have a brother, etc.)
Dual language tapes & tapes of stories (commercial and school made)
Go over key instructions & ask EAL/monolingual pupils to repeat back steps in a task
Use other pupils to talk about meaning of particular terms
Questioning (Avoid questions such as ‘Do you understand?) Use ‘or’ questions regularly especially for early stage EAL learners
Tell pupils to listen out for certain details (two or three) before listening to instructions/a story read aloud, e.g. Where did/What colour was/ What did , etc.
Read texts aloud and then show the pictures (If pictures are always there, pupils may switch off from the language used and depend only on the pictures for understanding/following a story)