Scaffolding in education
Among the many teaching methods being applied to our schools today, perhaps one of the more popular methods of instruction is the Scaffolding method developed by Lev Vygotsky. Scaffolding in education and in the teaching context is the application of support to the student in their early learning phase and then gradually removing that support system as the student masters the lesson. This parallels to how builders often apply scaffolding into what they build as support and framework, and gradually removes them when the building can already support itself.
Lev Vygotsky proposed a theory called the Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD to further elaborate the concept. Though the term was never coined by Vygotsky himself, it encompasses what the essence of scaffolding in education really is. Find out more about lev vygotsky theory.
The theory states that the instructor will introduce a new concept and then will give the student all the resources, assistance, instruction and support at the beginning of the lesson or teaching phase. As the lesson progresses, the instructor will assign new lessons that the student must learn, all the while withdrawing support, bit by bit, until such a time that the instructor is confident that the student really is handling the lesson competently all by his lonesome.
Over time, the instructors’ role shifts from a directive standpoint, to more suggestive, and then to an encouraging role, and finally to as an observer of progress. The best way to maximize scaffolding is in adapting to the learner’s rate of learning, moving from being regulated by others to self regulation; from over reliance to self reliance. Eventually, the learner will develop his own self-scaffolding in the process through internal thought or internal dialogue.
The Levels of Scaffolding in Education
Saye and Brush (2002) expounded on the two levels that there are the two levels of scaffolding: Hard and soft.
Soft Scaffolding is when the instructor moves around the room and converses with the learners. The instructor may then question the students’ approach on a problem (particularly difficult ones) and give out constructive feedback. This method is however, not easy to implement when the classroom is large that the instructor has to evenly divide his or her attention in handling the student’s individual needs, without compromising the pace of his instruction.
Hard Scaffolding, much like Soft Scaffolding, are also aimed at helping students cope with difficult problems and tasks. The main difference being is its emphasis on techniques of having the assistance pre-emotively planned well in advance.
Other methods of scaffolding
And then there is also what is referred to as Reciprocal Scaffolding, a method which involves any number of groups that work collaboratively together. Ideally, the students ought to be paired with other students with different perspectives on the problem/task. This would of course, create creative conflicts which would allow them to constructively come up with solutions at a higher cognitive level.
In whatever the case may be, the Zone of Proximal Development, or ZPD, is crucial concept in scaffolding in education, as scaffolding affects all learners both at the cognitive and emotional levels, and has an impact not only on the lesson learned or the skills acquired, but on the student’s motivations and confidence when approaching a task.
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