ML Teacher Toolbox: Analogical Scaffolding

ML Teacher Toolbox: Analogical Scaffolding

How do you teach the “invisible” concepts of the curriculum—like photosynthesis, inflation, or irony—when a student is still mastering the language of instruction? You build a bridge. This session focuses on Analogical Scaffolding: the art of anchoring complex, abstract academic concepts to the concrete, lived experiences of your students. When we use analogies, we bypass linguistic “walls” by tapping into universal human experiences. 

Participants will:

• Understand the cognitive “hook” and why analogies are essential for reducing the affective filter in MLs.
• Learn a 4-step framework to explicitly connect the Source (familiar) to the Target (academic) without creating new confusion.
• Discover how to pivot your analogies to align with the diverse cultural backgrounds and home lives of your specific student population.
•  Receive a set of 50+ classroom-ready analogies categorized by grade level and subject area so you can hit the ground running!