A good portion of my clients hire Lead to Empower services to support math teachers with implementing engaging curriculums. While we have supported with internalization of lessons and units, engaging learners, scaffolding the content, etc., one topic that has been coming up repeatedly lately is how to use student work to scaffold content. I am going to take you through why the strategy of sharing student work is so powerful and identify common mistakes that people make that dilute the impact of how student work can catapult students into exploring the concepts vs. copying the answer or disengaging due to confusion or disinterest.
Assumptions we need to make in this scenario: The mini-lesson or directions that were provided were clear and allowed for a number of students to give it a try. This also goes on the assumption that at least one-third of the class has tried. If you’re struggling to engage at least a third of your class, please schedule a consultation. We can support you through that.
After you launch an activity, task, or give students time to complete problems, immediately begin walking around to take note of how many people got started. If the numbers are low, consider revising your explicit instruction or go over the directions again, especially if it’s an exploratory activity. Again, we are assuming that a number of students are giving it a try.
When I walk around, I am looking for students who are on the right track and how off the other students are. I am also looking for variety in their approaches. The more options I have, the more likely I will be using student work to scaffold.
In this case, the student work I present could offer methods, thinking, or even starting points to the remaining students. Here is the catch or the common mistake: Most teachers show the student who is on the right path. Unfortunately, that weakens the scaffold because now, you have two-thirds of your class replicating the work you just showed. If it’s the same “smart kid” whose student work you’re sharing, then most students probably were waiting for you to do that, hence why they didn’t start in the first place.
The key to this scaffold is presenting two to three approaches, both right AND wrong (sometimes instead of the students explaining, the teacher explains, then you could possibly include a fourth example). You are creating a menu for the students to think through and choose the method they think makes the most sense. Remember, in math, ineffective methods teach us how to figure out the effective method. We want to create a learning environment that embraces both wins and losses. Once the methods are presented, have the students turn and talk to explain which one they are going to try and why. You could even have some groups share out so others hear their thinking. It could also be turned into a Math Language Routine of “Stronger and Clearer.”
Regardless, instead of the teacher in the front clarifying, which has proven to be the least effective method, you have students analyzing and choosing. This method of scaffolding does not have to be used after the duration of time allocated for the activity. It can be done throughout. You could pause the class after the first three minutes, maybe again or for the first time after 10 minutes, or better yet, wait until folks are close to finishing and offer to extend time to take what they learned and apply it.
Here are some quick tips to bring this scaffold to life:
- As soon as the students get started and/or you finish supporting a struggling group to engage with the work, walk around and look for work you can post.
- If you find multiple pieces of work that can be quickly scribed on the board, then have students do that before you bring everyone’s attention to the boards. This saves you time from having the class watch students write on the board (it’s hard to get their attention back after that). An Elmo could be useful to display the work, or taking pictures and adding the images to a smartboard can also help with this. You could also consider platforms such as Amplify Desmos where students can post their answers anonymously.
- Do not call on the same kids every time. The students should struggle in determining if there is a correct way to approach the work being shared. We want students to get intot the practice of making sense of what was shared.
- If you are struggling to find examples of student work, then coach a few students to try a method so they are empowered, but also so you can share their work.
- If you do not have any correct methods, then coach someone in the right direction.
- Celebrate perseverance and learning from mistakes. This creates a culture to embrace the learning as a group.
- If students are not choosing one of the approaches, consider what could be causing the hesitation. Often, it’s an insecurity around getting the wrong answer. This is a culture you have to disintegrate. See tip number 6.
- Sentence starters for the partner work could help getting students into discussion. Also, pairing higher and lower-level students may conjure conversation, but if you choose to do this, then I would encourage you to do a second round of sharing with another student (Stronger and Clearer).
- Listen in on the conversations to celebrate students picking options to get started or analyzing the work up on the board.
- Keep an eye on time. It’s not about getting through a ton of work; it’s about going deeper. Keep that the highest priority.
Student work is a powerful tool to engage students in exploring concepts. I am a firm believer that the answer is in the room. This method of scaffolding puts the students at the forefront, preserves the exploration, and teaches students that they are in this together. Try it out at least once at your next lesson. How you show up is how your students show up. If you are not willing to take chances, do not be surprised when your students are reflecting similar behaviors during the task or activity.