Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

<a href="https://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Edutopia describes scaffolding</a> as &ldquo;breaking up the learning into chunks and providing a tool, or structure, with each&nbsp;chunk.&rdquo;

In other words, scaffolding makes it easier for students to learn new concepts and master tasks because it breaks down the lesson into smaller, more manageable steps. Think of it like using training wheels when learning how to ride a&nbsp;bike.

One of the biggest benefits of incorporating instructional scaffolding is that it provides a welcoming and supportive learning environment for&nbsp;students.

Other benefits of instructional scaffolding:

<ul>
	<li>Engages learners and motivates them to want to learn more</li>
	<li>Increases the likelihood students will achieve their instructional&nbsp;goal</li>
	<li>Improves problem-solving and comprehension skills</li>
	<li>Opens the door for peer-teaching and learning</li>
	<li>Minimizes student frustration</li>
</ul>

As Ellii&rsquo;s Chief Impact Officer, I work with English language administrators all over the US. I know that scaffolding lessons is a very time-consuming process for teachers. There&rsquo;s also the potential to assign tasks that don&rsquo;t match the student&rsquo;s abilities, which can hinder&nbsp;success.&nbsp;

So it comes as no surprise that one of the questions I get asked the most is, &ldquo;Does Ellii provide scaffolded instruction for&nbsp;students?&rdquo;

The answer is yes!

The Ellii platform is specifically designed for English learners (ELs). This means that all the lessons are already scaffolded for ELs, allowing for a more <a href="https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/gradual-release-responsibility/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">gradual release of&nbsp;responsibility</a>.

Here&rsquo;s how Ellii incorporates instructional scaffolding in lesson plans to save your teachers time and support student&nbsp;learning:

<h2>Warm-up questions</h2>

Ellii lessons often start with warm-up&nbsp;questions.

These warm-up questions activate prior knowledge, which help your teachers assess what their students already know. Students also build the background knowledge necessary for understanding the text they&rsquo;re about to&nbsp;read.

Having a conversation at the beginning of a lesson does more than just get your students talking. It also helps them make connections between the material and their own lives, increasing their motivation to&nbsp;learn.

<h2>Vocabulary preview</h2>

Content-focused Ellii lessons also begin with a vocabulary&nbsp;preview.

Typically, students are asked to either match up a word with its meaning or fill in the&nbsp;blanks.

Front-loading vocabulary gives students the opportunity to review the vocabulary they will later encounter in the text. This <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/pre-reading-activities-to-boost-comprehension" target="_blank">pre-reading activity</a> helps students better understand a reading, especially one that has a lot of new&nbsp;vocabulary.

<h2>Visual learning</h2>

Many Ellii lessons include pictures, videos, and <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcards" target="_blank">flashcards</a> to further engage students and help them grasp the material. These visual aids can be used with the lesson or on their own as a single&nbsp;activity.

<h2>Reading &amp; listening activities</h2>

During the reading component of the lessons, students hone their reading and listening skills. They have the option of reading the text themselves or using <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-microsoft-immersive-reader-on-ellii" target="_blank">Microsoft&rsquo;s Immersive Reader</a> to hear the language modeled for&nbsp;them.

<h2>Writing &amp; speaking tasks</h2>

After the reading, it&rsquo;s time to put their learning to the&nbsp;test!

Ellii lessons include&nbsp;plenty of vocabulary review and opportunities for students to show what they&rsquo;ve&nbsp;learned.

Through comprehension questions, vocabulary practice, grammar exercises, personal reflections, dialogues, role-plays, discussion questions, and speaking tasks, teachers can check for understanding while students practice writing and using English out&nbsp;loud.

ELs don&rsquo;t have to complete every activity either. Teachers can choose to focus on one specific skill if they&nbsp;like.

<h2>Key takeaways</h2>

It&rsquo;s important to encourage students to work independently. Teachers should only help their students with activities that are beyond their&nbsp;abilities.

Additionally, teachers should assign tasks that match the student&rsquo;s skill level. Activities that are way beyond their capabilities can cause stress or frustration. Same applies to tasks that are below their&nbsp;capabilities.

Lastly, while independent learning is important, teacher-student interaction is just as essential. Open conversation with students allows teachers to address questions and to tailor their instruction for more personalized&nbsp;learning.

<blockquote>
Ready to get started with Ellii?

If you&#39;re a teacher or part of a school or an adult education organization, please contact Lei at <a href="mailto:lei@ellii.com">lei@ellii.com</a>.
</blockquote>

Instructional Scaffolding: How Ellii Supports Student Learning

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Find useful resources and tips for teaching English with interactive apps and sites.

EdTech

As Ellii&rsquo;s Chief Impact Officer, I&rsquo;ve enjoyed a long and passionate career in the EdTech space.&nbsp;

Starting in the mid &lsquo;80s when email in schools didn&rsquo;t exist, I&rsquo;ve observed the transformation and impact technology can have on the education sector. Some EdTech tools are great at giving teachers flexibility over their courseware, personalizing student learning, and driving student outcomes. Others leave much to be desired.

Many of us tend to go for the latest EdTech tool on the market thinking that new means better. But if there&rsquo;s one thing I&rsquo;ve learned throughout the years it&rsquo;s that just because an EdTech tool is new, colorful, and game-based doesn&rsquo;t mean it&rsquo;s engaging, user-friendly, or effective for teachers and their students.&nbsp;

So how do you know which digital learning tool to choose?&nbsp;

To help you identify the right EdTech tool for your school or district, it&rsquo;s important to ask the following questions:

<ol>
	<li data-stringify-border="0" data-stringify-indent="0">Does the tool really focus on what teachers value and will actually use? Or does it try to be the solution for everything?</li>
	<li data-stringify-border="0" data-stringify-indent="0">Does the tool promote <a href="https://edtechdigest.blog/2014/04/04/concept-mastery/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">concept mastery</a> and does it correlate with the student&rsquo;s academic success?</li>
	<li data-stringify-border="0" data-stringify-indent="0">Does the tool heighten&nbsp;<a data-remove-tab-index="true" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-stringify-link="https://eleducation.org/resources/collaborative-culture-academic-talk" delay="150" href="https://eleducation.org/resources/collaborative-culture-academic-talk" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">academic conversations</a>&nbsp;and leverage existing knowledge?</li>
	<li data-stringify-border="0" data-stringify-indent="0">Does the tool support learning design for both the teacher and the student?</li>
</ol>

<h2>EdTech Tools Should Leave Room for Teacher-Student Interactions</h2>

No matter which tool you go with, teacher interaction still remains incredibly important when it comes to personalized learning. When a teacher is less involved in their students&rsquo; learning journey, students tend to disengage, regardless of platform interactivity.&nbsp;

Now more than ever, students are craving connection and meaningful learning experiences where teachers can guide knowledge transfer.

<h2>Choose an EdTech Tool That Makes Your Teachers Feel Valued</h2>

In addition to facilitating a positive learning experience between teachers and students, a good EdTech tool should also make your teachers feel recognized and valued.&nbsp; 
 
English language teachers value EdTech tools that...

<ul>
	<li>provide students with interesting and relevant content</li>
	<li>use the advantages of technology to enhance reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills</li>
	<li>are simple to use</li>
	<li>provide teachers with high-quality, ready-made lessons and the flexibility to modify as needed</li>
	<li>have multimodal assessment tools, such as the ability to record feedback (this is faster than writing, more personal, and builds students&rsquo; English listening skills)</li>
	<li>can be used at home and at school, and includes both digital and paper-based options</li>
	<li>gives students and teachers agency, allowing for teacher and student-driven experiences (e.g., the option to activate learning tools, like <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-microsoft-immersive-reader-on-ellii" target="_blank">Immersive Reader</a>, or not based on needs)</li>
</ul>

Above all, a good EdTech tool should give teachers and students meaningful and personalized control&mdash;not just choice&mdash;over their teaching and learning.

Valuable learning tools&nbsp;like <a href="https://ellii.com/" target="_blank">Ellii</a>&nbsp;recognize that every classroom, teacher, and student is unique and has different needs.

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Ready to get started with Ellii?</h5>

If you&#39;re a teacher or part of a school, please contact Lei at <a href="mailto:lei@ellii.com">lei@ellii.com</a>. If you&#39;re from a district or an adult education organization, please contact Mari at <a href="mailto:mari@ellii.com">mari@ellii.com</a>.
</div>

VIEWING POSTS BY

Mari Lasnetski

Instructional Scaffolding: How Ellii Supports Student Learning

How to Choose the Right EdTech Tool for Your School or District