Using Coteach to Build Targeted Scaffolds

In previous blog posts, we explored how Coteach can help you internalize lessons and optimize pacing. Today, we'll dive into another powerful application: creating differentiated scaffolds that meet your students exactly where they are.

Effective scaffolding isn't about lowering expectations—it's about providing strategic supports that help all students access grade-level content. But determining precisely what each student needs requires both insight and efficiency, which is where Coteach becomes an invaluable partner in your planning process.

Finding the Right Balance

Let's begin by acknowledging an important truth: not all students need scaffolds, and we certainly don't want to provide extra support to students who are ready for the lesson as designed! However, some learners might benefit from targeted assistance. For some, it's just enough support to access the lesson. For others, more substantial scaffolding is necessary.

The key is identifying what your students actually need—an art unto itself that develops through experience and reflection. Fortunately, many teachers already have a sense of their students' needs from working with them day in and day out.

Using Lesson Internalization to Design Scaffolds

Remember the "do the math" principle we discussed in our previous blog? This fundamental step in lesson internalization provides invaluable insights for scaffolding decisions. After putting on your "student hat" and completing the lesson tasks, ask yourself:

1. What does complete understanding of the learning goals look like in student responses?

2. How might partial understanding manifest in student work?

3. What misconceptions or unfinished learning might prevent my students from achieving complete understanding?

These reflections help you pinpoint exactly where scaffolds are needed—without compromising the intended rigor of your high-quality instructional materials.

Coteach as Your Scaffolding Partner

Once you've identified likely misconceptions or unfinished learning, Coteach can help design differentiated scaffolds tailored to your students' specific needs. Here's how:

1. Select your lesson and clearly communicate student needs. Try prompting with: "Please build lesson scaffolds for my students. Some students are having trouble understanding the concept of volume, while others are missing foundational multiplication skills."

2. Review Coteach's suggestions and provide feedback. Notice that Coteach will generate scaffolds and ask what you want to do next with questions like: "Would you like me to focus on any of these areas or would you prefer different support?"

3. Refine based on your expertise. Having done the math of the lesson and knowing your students, decide if Coteach's customizations hit the mark or need adjustment. Remember, you're the expert in the loop!

You might also prompt Coteach with specific requests like:

"Create a reference guide for students who struggle with volume concepts."

"Design a set of scaffolded practice problems that build multiplication fluency in the context of this lesson."

"Develop a structured organizer that breaks down the main task into manageable steps for students who need additional processing support."

Putting It All Together

The most effective scaffolds maintain the cognitive demand of the original task while providing just enough support for students to engage meaningfully with the content. By combining your knowledge of your students with Coteach's ability to generate targeted supports, you can ensure every learner has the opportunity to succeed with grade-level material.

Ready to create customized scaffolds for your upcoming lessons? Head to Coteach now!

This concludes our three-part series on lesson internalization. You can find our previous posts on lesson internalization and mastering lesson pacing.