Support for children with special educational needs (SEN) in inclusive classrooms, in many countries, continues to be provided by teaching assistants (TAs). Whilst they frequently take responsibility for instruction, they are rarely adequately trained and prepared. As TAs have ample opportunities for individualised and group interactions, this paper recommends scaffolding as the key theory to inform their practice. From a large dataset of interactions in mathematics and literacy lessons, episodes of TA scaffolding were selected. Using conversation analysis, three scaffolding roles emerged: 1) a support role that maintained learner engagement, on-task behaviour and motivation; 2) a repair function that focused on learning and fostered independence when children were in difficulty; and c) a heuristic role that encouraged students to use their own learning strategies. The paper concludes with implications for trainers and managers and how teachers can support TAs in implementing each role.
Teaching assistants currently play a key pedagogical role in supporting learners with special educational needs. Their practice is primarily oral, involving verbal differentiation of teacher talk or printed materials. In order to help students think for themselves, this paper argues that their practice should be informed by heuristic scaffolding. A substantial dataset from three teaching assistant projects was scrutinised for examples of heuristics. Using conversation analysis, the paper shows how assistance is negotiated and adjusted over a sequence of discourse. Four patterns of heuristic scaffolding are shown: heuristic modelling represents the highest level of support; heuristic questioning and prompting are jointly negotiated with the student. Self-scaffolding by students shows them taking responsibility for their own learning strategies. Implications for the school system are explored.
Teaching assistants require training in scaffolding as an instructional strategy, and educational psychologists (EPs) could play a vital role in this respect.
Having introduced the concept of scaffolding in the previous chapters, we will now discuss it in more detail. This chapter covers the idea of process success criteria (introduced in Chapter 2) that are key for identifying the things you might need to scaffold. Finally, ahead of more detailed coverage in Chapter 4, we introduce our framework for interaction to support you when scaffolding pupils' learning.
What is scaffolding?'Scaffolding' is a term which is regularly used in educational discussions and in books, but is not often explained by those who use it. It gets used in different ways by different people, so as a result its meaning can lose clarity.
Reflection activity
Have you heard the term scaffolding? If so, how would you define it?Ask a few teachers how they would define scaffolding.Ask your SENCO how he or she would define scaffolding.
What are the similarities and differences between the definitions?Look at the answers to the questions in the activity above. The following words are likely to appear in the definitions you collected: help; support; differentiation; steps; breaking down; chunking down; structure; independence; contingent; talk; interaction. We would use some of these words when defining scaffolding, but we would avoid others.
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