According to the Glossary of Education Reform, Instructional Scaffolding used to move students progressively toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the learning process. The term itself offers the relevant descriptive metaphor: teachers provide successive levels of temporary support that help students reach higher levels of comprehension and skill acquisition that they would not be able to achieve without assistance. Like physical scaffolding, the supportive strategies are incrementally removed when they are no longer needed, and the teacher gradually shifts more responsibility over the learning process to the student.
Scaffolding is widely considered to be an essential element of effective teaching, and all
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The teacher does this by systematically building on students’ experiences and knowledge as they are learning new skills. Just like the scaffold in the picture to the left, these supports are temporary and adjustable. As students master the assigned tasks, the supports are gradually removed.
To gain a better understanding of scaffolding, consider the analogy of a child learning to walk. First, a parent holds the child up. His feet barely touch the floor as he mimics walking. Slowly, the child is allowed to support more and more of his own weight. Next, he might support himself by holding on to an object like a coffee table while his parents watch. Finally, the child is ready to take steps, though his parent’s hand might still be just inches away. Soon enough, the child is walking—and running—on his own. Like the parents in this example, teachers teaching new tasks initially have complete control and support their students fully. Gradually, when the students are ready, support is withdrawn until the students are able to stand on their