Use eportfolios for scaffolding instruction

The ePortfolio process provides an organized and reflective setting for students to document their learning and professional development.  As a teaching and learning tool, eportfolios facilitate and document scaffolding strategies for learning.  The reflective component of the eportfolo process allows the students to make and review their own learning connections. Scaffolding refers to the idea that specialized instructional supports need to be in place in order to best facilitate learning when students are first introduced to a new subject.

Scaffolding instruction includes a variety of strategies.  Here are some that can be initiated in class and have students reflect on the experience in their eportfolios.  Use the course eportfolio and individual student eportfolios to build a (step-by-step) reflective scaffolding process for the students.

Scaffolding techniques (include the reflection in the eportfolio): 

• activating prior knowledge (tacit knowledge) with eportfolio
• offering a motivational context to pique student interest or curiosity in the subject and reflect in eportfolio
• breaking a complex task into easier, more "doable" steps to facilitate student achievement and document in eportfolio
• showing students an example of the desired outcome before they complete the task and have them build task in eportfolio
• modeling the thought process for students through "think aloud" talk on blog in eportfolio
• offering hints or partial solutions to problems and complete in eportfolio
• using verbal cues to prompt student answers and blog in eportfolio
• facilitating student engagement and participation through blog in eportfolio
• displaying a historical timeline to offer a context for learning and have them reflect and build their own in eportfolio
• using graphic organizers to offer a visual framework for assimilating new information and reflect in eportfolio
• teaching key vocabulary terms before reading and blog in eportfolio
• guiding the students in making predictions for what they expect will occur in a story, experiment, or other course of action through blog and reflection in eportfolio
• asking questions while lecturing to encourage deeper investigation of concepts and continue in blog on course eportfolio
• suggesting possible strategies for the students to use during independent practice and have them blog and reflect in eportfolio
• modeling an activity for the students before they are asked to complete the same or similar activity through blog in eportfolio
• asking students to contribute their own experiences that relate to the subject at hand through blog in course eportfolio and reflection in their own eportfolios