Scaffolding

Scaffolding instruction as a teaching strategy originates from Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and his concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD).  “The zone of proximal development is the distance between what children can do by themselves and the next learning that they can be helped to achieve with competent assistance”

Scaffolding is a teaching technique used to build connections for learners by establishing details surrounding a unit before it is actually taught. Scaffolding allows the teacher to build a bridge from the learners' current knowledge to the information being taught. Scaffolding is properly performed by a teacher by modelling a given task and slowly transferring the knowledge to the learner so he can firmly grasp the subject matter.

Advantages of scaffolding

· Motivate or enlist the child’s interest related to the task

· Simplify the task to make it more manageable and achievable for a child

· Provide some direction in order to help the child focus on achieving the goal

· Clearly indicate differences between the child’s work and the standard or desired solution.

· Reduce frustration and risk.

· Model and clearly define the expectations of the activity to be performed.

Scaffolding can be disadvantageous for teachers, because

·         It necessitates giving up control to allow learners to learn at their own pace.

·         It is also time-consuming; you might not have adequate time to complete your entire scaffolding lesson.

·         On certain occasions, you may be forced to cut short the time allocated for each student in order to accommodate all learners. This can result in frustration, and the students' urge to learn can slowly fade.