The Curriculum Resource: Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning

The curriculum resource that I analysed is the book Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning, Teaching English Language Learners in the mainstream classroom (Gibbons, 2015), which is the second edition of this book. The main stakeholders in keeping up the book are classroom teachers, EAL/D teachers, and the students themselves. 

The author Gibbons (2015), taught TESOL courses at the University of Technology, Sydney and is now an Adjunct Professor at the University of NSW. Gibbons (2015) has also worked as an EL consultant for teachers and has worked in several countries overseas. She has published five books on ESL teaching. Gibbons' books have influenced the way EAL/D is taught in NSW public schools and her ideas are cited in the NSW Department of Education EAL/D advice for schools (2020) document. In the second edition of this book, Gibbons (2015) updates the practical ideas which can be used in the rmainstream classroom, by the regular class teacher. The book shows how scaffolding works and outlines activities that can be used to promote conversation and language acquisition for EAL/D students in the classroom. 

As Gibbons (2015, p. 1-2) states “the book is about the many ways in which teachers can provide support for EL learners through the learning contexts they provide in the day-to-day life of the classroom.” Gibbons (2015) discusses ways EAL/D language teaching can be integrated into the regular classroom, where language can be learnt in a meaningful context.

The approach used in Gibbons' (2015) book adopts the ideas of the communicative approach to language learning. The book is based on the work by Michael Halliday and on the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) theory of language. As Gibbons (2015, p. 4) states, “these linguists argue that language is involved in almost everything we do, and whenever we use language there is …two kinds of context.” Gibbons (2015) explains that there is the context of culture, where speakers from the same culture have the same cultural knowledge, and context of situation where the language used depends on the occasion and whether the language is spoken or written. Gibbons (2015, p. 5) notes “how we use language is determined largely by these contextual features.” Halliday and Hasan (1985) described the contextual features as field (the topic), tenor (the relationship between speaker/writer and listener/reader)and mode (type of communication spoken/written) which creates the register of the text. As Gibbons (2015, p. 6) states “as children learn their first language, ….they learn to vary the register of the language so that it is appropriate for the context.”

Gibbons (2015) book utilises the pedagogical approach termed sociocultural taken by Vygotsky (1978, as cited  in Gibbons, 2015), which focuses on the social and collaborative aspects of language learning. According to Gibbons (2015, p. 13) this approach means that “the roles of teacher and learner are interrelated, with both taking active roles in the learning process.” They are both active participants in the learning and learning is collaborative. The book aligns with Vygotsky’s (1978) idea of the zone of proximal development, which is the cognitive gap between what the learner can do independently and what they can do jointly with the support of a teacher. Gibbons (2015) also believes that learning needs to be scaffolded for language learners. 

Wood, Bruner and Ross (1976, as cited in Gibbons, 2015) first used the term scaffolding when viewing parent-child talk with young children. Bruner (1978, as cited in Gibbons, 2015  p. 16) described scaffolding as "the steps taken to reduce the degrees of freedom in carrying out some tasks so that the child can concentrate on the difficult skills she is in the process of acquiring." When applied to the classroom scaffolding, according to Maybin, Mercer and Stierer (1992, as cited in Gibbons, 2015  p. 16) states, is the “temporary, but essential, nature of the mentor’s assistance” to support learners to complete a task. The goal is for independence of the skill. 

Gibbons' (2015) book supports the idea of creating a high-challenge, high-support learning environment using authentic tasks in the classroom. The amount of scaffolding provided for the student varies, according to their individual learning needs. The activities suggested in the book integrate the four areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

As Gibbons' (2015, p. 9) states, her book “is based upon the assumption that language development involves a continuing process of meaning making.” Gibbons (2015) believes that grammar and vocabulary should be taught in the context of authentic meaning making. At school, learners also need to learn academic language, which is more complex than everyday language. The resource according to Gibbons (2015, p. 11) discusses “the ways teachers can respond to the language-learning needs of EAL/D students within the context of the regular school curriculum.”


Gibbons, P. (2015). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: teaching English language learners in the mainstream classroom (2nd ed.). Heinemann.

Halliday, M., & Hasan, R. (1985). Language, context and text. Deakin University Press.

NSW Department of Education. (2020). EAL/D advice for schools.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

Wood, D., Bruner, J., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17(2), 89-100.

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