Scaffolding Teaching: Definition and Key Concepts
Scaffolding teaching is an instructional strategy where a teacher provides temporary, tailored support to students as they learn new concepts or skills. This support is gradually reduced as students gain proficiency, enabling them to eventually perform tasks independently
Core Principles
- Temporary Support: Like physical scaffolding in construction, educational scaffolding offers support only as long as it is needed. Once students can perform the task on their own, the support is removed
- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The concept is rooted in Vygotsky’s theory, which identifies the ZPD as the gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance. Scaffolding targets this zone to maximize learning potential
- Gradual Release of Responsibility: Instruction often follows the "I Do – We Do – You Do" model:
- I Do: Teacher models or demonstrates the task.
- We Do: Teacher and students practice together.
- You Do: Students attempt the task independently, with support only as needed
How Scaffolding Works
- Modeling: The teacher demonstrates a process or skill, showing students how to approach a task
- Guided Practice: Students try the task with the teacher’s help, receiving prompts, cues, or feedback
- Independent Practice: As students become more competent, the teacher steps back, offering support only when necessary, until students can complete the task alone
Examples
- Learning to Read: Teachers first teach the alphabet, phonics, and word recognition before expecting students to read independently
- Problem Solving in Math: The teacher solves a problem while thinking aloud, then guides students through similar problems, and finally lets students solve problems on their own
- Writing Assignments: Outlines, templates, and sentence starters are provided at first, but gradually removed as students become more confident writers
Benefits
- Promotes deeper understanding by building on prior knowledge and breaking complex tasks into manageable steps
- Encourages active participation and independence in learning
- Allows for differentiation, as support is tailored to each student’s needs and gradually faded as they progress
In summary, scaffolding teaching is a dynamic and adaptive process where support is provided and then systematically withdrawn, empowering students to become independent and confident learners
