A topic in teaching science
The term 'scaffolding learning' is sometimes used to mean any kind of structuring that is offered to learners to support their learning. However, strictly, scaffolding is more specific than this.
What counts as a scaffold?
"Scaffolding implies more than just structuring a learning activity, or offering support. For something to count as scaffolding it has to relate to a task prescribed in relation to a specific learning goal that a learner is not yet able to succeed in unaided, where the scaffolding has been designed specifically to bridge the task demand in the light of the learners' current level, and where it actually allows the learner to be more successful than would have been possible otherwise…true scaffolding must lead in time to the learner developing the capability to succeed in the task unaided, and so must be 'faded' so that the learner gradually takes on full responsibility for the activity" (Taber, 2018).
The idea is linked to Vygotsky's theory of learning which considers that people make substantive development in learning when they are provided with challenges and supported appropriately. Vygotky's ideas are considered an example of a constructivist learning theory.
Read more about constructivism
The challenge needs to be something where the learner is not yet able to succeed in working alone, but where they can be successful if they find support from someone further along in their learning (which could be a teacher, or a parent, or even a peer). It is said the learner achieves vicariously through the guidance of the more advanced person.
[In Vygotsky's theory, such an activity is said to fall in the learner's 'zone of next development', or 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD).]
Read about the ZPD, the Zone of Proximal Development
Read about The social development theory of Lev Vygotsky
In simple terms, a parent may demonstrate something to a child, then take the child though some of the steps with them contributing, and so forth until in time the child can carry out the complete process without support. The phased removal of scaffolding is known as fading.
So fading is "reducing scaffolding as learning proceeds…the process of fading a scaffold, where the scaffold is incrementally withdrawn as the learner no longer needs it…in formal educational contexts it may require the teacher to actively and progressively withdraw the scaffold as they judge a learner can manage with less support…" (Taber, 2018, pp.1, 26-27)
[Vygotsky's perspective suggests that the learner initially operates on the social or 'inter-mental' plane but over time moves the new ability to the personal or 'intra-mental' plane – what we originally see others do, and learn to do with others, we can in time do alone.]
When learning is of conceptual material we might see one form of scaffolding being Socratic dialogue. By asking a series of question, the learner is brought to understanding – as when (according to Plato), Socrates demonstrated that an uneducated slave boy could derive geometric theorems).
(Read about 'Socratic dialogue')
Teacher talk in classroom often attempt similar feats, explaining the observation (e.g., by Edwards & Mercer) that in contradiction to the usual social norms teachers ask a lot of questions that they already know the answers to. However, teachers are often attempting to work with a whole class of learners which is much more difficult.
Scaffolding tools
Whilst the best scaffolding is likely to be the direct interaction between a learner and a teacher who monitor the learner's progress and modify teaching accordingly, in principle it is possible for activities to be guided by other resources – texts, videos and so forth.
It has been suggested that there are two types of useful scaffolding tools, those that focus on the prerequisite knowledge/skills at the start of new learning and those that offer a scaffold for the learning activity itself.
(Read about 'Scaffolding tools')
(Read about 'Scaffolding learning of circular motion')
Why is scaffolding learning so difficult
If the task does not have sufficient challenge (not reaching the ZPD) then it does not provide potential for facilitating development, but if there is too much challenge (beyond the ZPD) the learner will not be able to engage to develop success. The fading also has to be judged carefully, with the scaffolding dismantled only as the learner can succeed without it. So this pedagogical approach requires careful judgement based on knowledge of the learner's starting point, potential, and progress during scaffolded learning. This is difficult enough when working with one learner, let alone class. (That said, a good effort at scaffolding which is imperfect is likely to facilitate development more than no attempt at all.)
Read more about scaffolding: Scaffolding learning: principles for effective teaching and the design of classroom resources
Read a study to design scaffolding tools to support student learning: A study to explore the potential of designing teaching activities to scaffold learning: understanding circular motion
Source cited:
- Taber, K. S. (2018). Scaffolding learning: principles for effective teaching and the design of classroom resources. In M. Abend (Ed.), Effective Teaching and Learning: Perspectives, strategies and implementation (pp. 1-43). New York: Nova Science Publishers. [Read the author's manuscript version]
