This is a way of driving students from being dependent on teachers' guidance to write to the innovative independent stage.

1. Writing Scaffolding
Prepared by: Ms Fella Boudjema, CELTA holder; KET and PET
Speaking Examiner

3.  “What the child is able to do in
collaboration today, he will be able to
do independently tomorrow”.
L. S. Vygotsky

4.  Student-centred writing method
 Ultimate goal is writing independence
and free from L1 influence
Dependent
Independent

5. Brainstorming
and mind
mapping
Build
sentences
with simple
structures
Link
sentences
and make
paragraphs
Add
flavoured
complex
structured
sentences.
Baby Stage- fully dependent:
All the phases are influenced by
the teacher’s input.
Students need a model

6. Brainstorming
and mind
mapping
Build
sentences
with simple
structures
Link
sentences
and make
paragraphs
Add
flavoured
complex
structured
sentences.
Childhood Stage- semi-dependent:
After drilling for a couple of times
Students are following the model

7.  “ Write about your family”
Brainstorming
and mind
mapping
Build
sentences
with simple
structures
Link
sentences
and make
paragraphs
Add
flavoured
complex
structured
sentences.
Teenage Stage- semi-dependent
and rebellious:
Students modify the model by trying
to be innovative and unique

8.  “ Write about your family”
Brainstorming
and mind
mapping
Build
sentences
with simple
structures
Link
sentences
and make
paragraphs
Add
flavoured
complex
structured
sentences.
Adult Stage- independent:
Students model themselves

9. • “Write about your family members”
• Teachers’ ICQs:
• Does it mean something to the student?
NO
• Do I have to model it for the first time? YES
• How? Scaffolding Writing

10.  Teachers model using their own family
members,
 Not more than parents, a brother and a
sister,
 Mind map,
 Bullet point your ideas, free of language
correction, eliciting from students
 Class correction of language (grammar
and vocabulary)
 Build sentences (signposts)
 Build paragraphs (ideas flow)

11. ◦ Fish bowl activity (model using the
centre of the class)
◦ Think aloud (the whole class)
◦ Teacher’s Model (T-class/ class-T)
 Try the same scenario again using this
strategy:
◦ Write about your family

12. ◦ Brainstorming (Teacher’s sample,
class brainstorming)
◦ Class modelling
◦ Conferencing
 Try the scenario using this strategy:
◦ Write about your family

13. ◦ Intrigue (miming, gestures, pictures,
flavours...)
◦ Develop (bullet points)
◦ Conference (building sentences then
paragraphs as a class)
 Try the same scenario using this
strategy:
◦ Write about your family

14.  Try the next stages using the three strategies
 Ask yourself the following?
 Are the strategies static?
 Could I mix and use?
 How does it work in my classroom?
 To what extent my students are responsive to
each strategy?
 Now tailor it to meet your students’ needs
and gear them towards writing independence

15.  Teachers ARE important.
 Teachers ARE influential.
 Teachers ARE able to make a
difference!
 ~Helen Morsink