Scaffolding Students' Comprehension of Text

In this article, the authors explore the concept of instructional scaffolding as it applies to facilitating students' reading comprehension. They argue that scaffolding is a highly flexible and adaptable model of instruction that supports students as they acquire both basic skills and higher order thinking processes, allows for explicit instruction within authentic contexts of reading and writing, and enables teachers to differentiate instruction for students of diverse needs. The authors hope to help professionals gain a broader perspective of the different roles they can play in using various forms of scaffolding in the reading program, so that they will employ scaffolding more frequently in their classrooms and thereby improve their students' reading comprehension. Several definitions of scaffolding are considered, foundations of the scaffolding concept are reviewed, and reasons that scaffolding is an effective technique are discussed. Three general types of scaffolding are addressed: moment-to-moment scaffolding, instructional frameworks that foster content learning, and instructional procedures for teaching reading comprehension strategies. For each type, the authors provide two examples of instruction. Finally, they discuss things to consider when making decisions about scaffolding.