| Description | Scaffolding Early Learning (SEL), a program developed by Elena Bodrova, provides professional development for teachers as they work to develop young children’s cognition, language, and early literacy.
SEL directly targets the critical domains of early literacy development, including oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge, and other critical skills for overall school readiness. The program addresses four broad outcomes for teacher learning based on critical skills and concepts that the “expert reading teacher” needs to know:
- Recognize how language, reading, writing, and cognition develop in preschool-age children and how teachers can impact this development.
- Use explicit, intentional, scaffolded instruction based on scientific research to develop children's oral language, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and print awareness.
- Adapt, extend, and modify strategies for children of all abilities, including children with special needs and English language learners.
- Develop daily lesson plans and long-term classroom plans that are standards-based and effective for developing individual children’s early language, literacy, and cognition.
Scaffolding Early Literacy addresses issues that curriculum materials and activities alone cannot, including customizing instruction to meet individual children's needs, using assessment to guide instruction, and providing effective mentoring.
To build capacity and have a lasting impact, this professional development provides sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused activities, such as in-class coaching and demonstrations. |
