SCAFFOLDING STRATEGIES By Oliver Picado and Daniela Picado

SCAFFOLDING STRATEGIES 

By Oliver Picado and Daniela Picado

Teaching is the art of constructing the path for students to achieve learning outcomes. However, getting a student to his or her learning outcome is a challenge for educators since they have to come up with strategies and activities that can help the student get there. 

Scaffolding strategies come to be those steps that can guide students to independently achieve a goal. 

Students come to class with different learning backgrounds; that is why, educators play an important role in building those steps for students. Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976, as cited in Yildiz & Bulyamin, 2020) believed that scaffolding refers to "instructional techniques used to extend understanding of learners and promote their independence in their learning process" (p. 148). Therefore, promoting that independence is what educators need to ensure in their learning classes. 

Another important aspect to highlight is that scaffolding is related to the zone of proximal development (ZPD) developed by Vigotsky. Vygotsky (1978) defines ZPD as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential problem solving as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more able peers (p. 86). Explained in simple words, what learners can do without help is the actual development level, and what they can do with help is the level of potential development. Thus, scaffolding plays an important role in the level of potential development because that help that is provided is the scaffolding provided by the instructors or educators. 

Taken from https://practicalpie.com/zone-of-proximal-development/ 

Scaffolding strategies can appear in different forms. In my teaching experience, I have witnessed the power of scaffolding in facilitating learning. Whether through targeted questioning, modeling, or providing hints, implementing images that can help a student to understand a concept better, writing clear and conscise instructions because long instructions can be confusing and overwhelming for students, and giving useful expressions for students to interact and do the task, among other activities that can guide and help students to achieve a task. 

However, scaffolding is challenging because too much assistance can lead to dependency, while too little may result in frustration. For that reason, finding the right balance is an ongoing endeavor. 

We would love to hear from you!

In your experiences, how do you effectively manage the delicate balance between providing ample support to students through scaffolding without fostering dependency, and avoiding leaving them frustrated with insufficient assistance? Could you share specific strategies or activities that you have found successful in maintaining this balance within your teaching practices?

References:

Yildiz, Y., & Bünyamin, C. (2020). The Use of Scaffolding Techniques in Language Learning: Extending the Level of Understanding. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies. ISSN 2520-0968 (Online), ISSN 2409-1294 (Print), September 2020, Vol.7, No.3

Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.