Relational Scaffolding

Relational Scaffolding is an instructional approach that enhances children's understanding of scientific models through systematic, guided comparisons between observable phenomena and corresponding modeled events. Designed for 3rd-grade students learning about the day-night cycle, the intervention uses split-screen video footage showing both Earth-based observations (e.g., sunrise, sunset) and space-based models of Earth rotation simultaneously. A trained researcher guides students through these videos, pointing at and between perspectives to clarify temporal, spatial, and causal correspondences. The intervention progresses from an embodied simulation where students physically enact Earth's rotation, to relational scaffolding using video of their embodied experience, then to a 3D physical model simulation, and finally to relational scaffolding comparing both simulations. Sessions last 20-30 minutes each, delivered one-on-one in a quiet room at the student's school during after-school hours, twice weekly for three weeks (total of 5 instructional sessions). The approach requires video recording equipment (GoPro camera, tripod, videorecorder), video editing capabilities, a computer for displaying split-screen videos, and physical materials including a 3D Earth-Sun model. One trained researcher delivers the intervention to one student at a time.