Scaffolding teachers to scaffold students’ language for mathematical learning

Abstract

Mathematical learning can be advanced over time by applying language scaffolding strategies in a whole-class setting. However, there is a paucity of research on how to effectively equip groups of teachers with knowledge and skills to scaffold language. The aim of this paper is to explore how scaffolding of teachers can be enacted within a professional development program focused on teachers’ scaffolding of students’ language required for mathematical learning. The enactment of three key characteristics of scaffolding – diagnosis, responsiveness, and handover to independence – were traced through a 7 month professional development program for five Dutch primary school teachers within a design-based implementation study. The analysis yielded two narratives of the two main themes that the participants were scaffolded in; 1) the identification of language for mathematical learning and 2) scaffolding strategies for language development. To gain insight into what a teacher could learn during the program, one case study teacher was randomly chosen and interviewed mid- and post-program. An analytical framework for teachers’ reported learning outcomes was used to analyze the mid- and post-interviews. The analyses showed that not only can scaffolding be deployed within a professional development program; it can successfully achieve noteworthy changes in a teacher’s knowledge and skills in relation to scaffolding of students’ language for mathematical learning.