Research School Network: Scaffolding, Cognitive Science and the classroom environment: lessons from the Primary Classroom Rachael Wilson unpicks the complexities of Scaffolding, discussing how it should be used in order to create the biggest impact.

Concepts such as Cognitive Load Theory and images such as the Memory Model are commonplace in schools now. We increasingly ​“know” more and more about how our brains process and store information, however the question persists- what are we ​“doing” differently as a result? What, exactly, does this knowledge look like in our daily teaching practices? And, crucially, what is the ​“so what?” of knowing more about how our brains experience input?

​“Scaffolding” is not a new concept in education, but even this can fall victim to a ​“knowing-doing problem.” The Education Endowment Foundation’s Guidance Reports on Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning and Making the Best Use of Teaching Assistants both include helpful guidance on the evidence around scaffolding, but the job of applying it effectively and through a Cognitive Science lens in a classroom full of pupils remains challenging.

This blog explores some of the different challenges and implications around the use of Cognitive Science principles when considering scaffolding, and in it I draw upon my own experiences, good, bad and ugly, as a teacher throughout.


What is scaffolding and how does it link to cognitive science?

We know from cognitive science that our working memory is finite- there is a limit to the amount of information one brain can process at one time. We also know that this is individual, and although its capacity changes as children develop, it cannot be specifically trained or expanded.

Scaffolding is something put in place to support thinking. It can reduce inherent cognitive load by, in one way or another, reducing the volume of concurrent information the working memory has to contend with. This supports learning by mitigating the risk of the working memory becoming flooded and the learner becoming confused or stressed and helps to concentrate the working memory available on the task at hand. Scaffolding can be used across a lesson or a series of lessons: as more information is assimilated into long term memory, there is more working memory available to work with.


So What?

Well-scaffolded learning can be incredibly supportive to pupils who need it – it allows for an inclusive and safe learning environment and a sense of success for all learners. But teachers need to be mindful of the scaffolds they choose, how and when to introduce them, and when to take them away. We also need to be aware of the power of two, more passive, elements in our classroom – the physical learning environment and class routines- and their power to support or undermine our efforts when using scaffolding with pupils.


What is the link between Scaffolding and the physical learning environment?

The classroom provides a continuous stream of information. Things like working walls, displays, the formatting of slides and handouts, the furniture, seating and apparatus all offer a wealth of sensory input, which contributes to cognitive load. Used wisely, the classroom environment can also support learners well by providing a variety of resources and prompts which they can use either with support or independently.


So What?

Knowing our children is key in designing the displays, working walls and seating in a classroom. What worked last year may not work this year. How much scaffolding (working walls covered in vocabulary come to mind here) and in what scale are important considerations, as are the routines around how they are used and how frequently they are changed. Consider what the walls and resources available are used for and how to best utilise them for this purpose.


What is the link between Scaffolding and classroom routines?

On recent training, we asked teachers about different types of scaffold, and the barriers they faced around using scaffolding in teaching. Unsurprisingly, many different types of graphic organisers, manipulatives, sentence stems, grids etc were mentioned as means of scaffolding learning. We also discussed questioning, both from teachers and teaching assistants, as an effective scaffold. Again, used wisely, these elements can provide an excellent aide to children in helping them to access learning, either by progressing through a task, or managing their thought process in a controlled way.


So What?

However, when asked about barriers to using scaffolds, often things such as ​“time to prepare” and ​“difficult to get right” came up often. From my own experience, even when considerable time and effort has been put into planning adaptions through resources on hand, I have noticed the risk of doubling the amount of processing a child has to do if they are presented with something different or unfamiliar, even if it is helpful when used as intended. The same goes for questioning- often too many questions are asked in too small a time space, undermining the work we are doing to support working memory and turning the thought process into a ​“quiz” between child and adult.

The implications for this kind of barrier are to be as intentional is possible with the types of additional scaffolds used, to make time to explicitly instruct pupils and teaching assistants on how they are used, and to use them regularly in order to harness the power of routine and habit. Teaching children how to use a rubric or a graphic organiser, front loading a question before asking it ​“answer on your whiteboard, what is….?” and demonstrating how to use a working wall routinely can all contribute meaningfully towards reducing some of the barriers mentioned above.


To conclude: to use what we know about cognitive science effectively to scaffold learning in the classroom, it is necessary to think beyond the simple provision of the correct resource. You also need to consider how and where it will be used: physical environment, classroom habits and routines can really make an impact on supporting children with their thinking.


Links:

TA GRhttps://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/eef-guidance-reports/teaching-assistants/TA_Guidance_Report_MakingBestUseOfTeachingAssistants-Printable_2021-11 – 02-162019_wsqd.pdf?v=1700715961

Metacognition GRhttps://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/eef-guidance-reports/metacognition/EEF_Metacognition_and_self-regulated_learning.pdf?v=1700738059