Education by Shala Books

  • Home
  • Resources
    • FSL Resources
    • ESL Resources
    • Reading Resources
  • Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Support
    • About
    • FAQ
    • Contact
    • Opportunities
  • Login
  • Home
  • Resources
    • FSL Resources
    • ESL Resources
    • Reading Resources
  • Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Support
    • About
    • FAQ
    • Contact
    • Opportunities
  • Login

THE EDUCATION BLOG

BLOG HOME PAGE
Let's Talk Education
Educational Frameworks
Planners
Reading
ESL
FSL
Modern Foreign Languages
Mother Tongue
Tips for Educators
Tips for Parentss
Education Quotes

Blog

January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018

THE NEED FOR DIFFERENTIATED AND SCAFFOLDED RESOURCES

28/4/2021

 
I was recently in a classroom where grade 4 students were working on IXL.com as a means of practising and reviewing math skills. As I walked around the room, I observed that a number of students consistently only practiced numeracy skills where questions were numeric and didn’t involve word problems, and this got me thinking about why that was. Yes, in general, straight equations are easier to solve, but there must be something more to it. Upon speaking with students and delving further into the types of problems provided by IXL.com, I quickly realized why some students were shying away from attempting to solve them … it was due to the vocabulary used in the problems, and I am not talking math vocabulary, I am referring to vocabulary used in the context of the questions – chemical names such as phosphorous and sulfuric acid, country names such as Australia, etc. For students reading at or above grade level, these questions may not pose a problem; however, for students reading below grade level, it’s a completely different story.

The above highlights issues with IXL.com, but they are not the only company using vocabulary in their resources that students reading below grade level simply can’t decode and comprehend. In all fairness, some companies do offer differentiated/scaffolded resources for English Language Learners (ELL) students, but students reading below grade level are not quite in the same category, so they are often left to flounder in subject areas (other than Language Arts) where levelled reading material may not be provided.  When it’s time for grading and report cards, these questions must be asked: Are those students falling below grade level in most or all subject areas because of their inability to read at grade level, and would their mastery of concepts be at grade level had the reading material and questions provided been accessible to them? Very possibly, yes.

At the moment, the only solution available to teachers would be to rewrite texts and questions themselves in order to provide necessary differentiated and/or scaffolded resources for learners in their classrooms – which theoretically speaking is an ideal solution, but practically speaking, teachers simply don’t have the time to rewrite and reword texts and questions in all subject areas. And so perhaps the responsibility should fall on the companies providing the resources to offer leveled texts and questions in subject areas they are providing materials for so that students can be evaluated fairly on what they know and understand vs what they are able to read and comprehend. Perhaps there are companies that have already taken that step, in which case, should this not simply become standard practice across the board?
The Need for Differentiated and Scaffolded Resources
Are you a teacher struggling to provide differentiated and/or scaffolded resources in your classroom? How have you been solving the issue? Alternatively, if you have found ready-made resources, where did you find them? We welcome your thoughts and insights!

Further Reading


Rethinking Report Cards
The Ideal Teacher Resources
The Flaw in "Gradeless" Systems
Is Your School Putting Student Needs First?
Are Internet-Based Teaching Resources Doing More Harm Than Good?



1 Comment
donald86 link
12/8/2022 04:29:07 am

Great Article! Thank you for sharing this is a very informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    SHARE ARTICLE

    Welcome to
    The Education Blog

    Christina Shala
    Christina Shala
    About Christina Shala

    Recent Post

    Quick Links


    FSL Resources
    ESL Resources
    Beginning Readers
    Consulting Services

    Have a Question?

    CONTACT US
Vertical Divider
Vertical Divider
OUR COMPANY
About
Blog
FAQ
Contact
Opportunities
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
FSL Resources
ESL Resources
Emergent Readers
Transitional Readers
Consulting Services
Vertical Divider
CONNECT WITH US
© Copyright 2023  Education by Shala Books Inc.