Instructional Scaffolding
Temporary support strategies that help students achieve tasks they cannot yet complete independently.
What is Scaffolding?
Instructional scaffolding is a teaching method where educators provide successive levels of temporary support to help students reach higher levels of comprehension and skill acquisition. As students demonstrate increasing competence, support is gradually withdrawn.
Types of Scaffolding
Procedural scaffolding — step-by-step guides, checklists, and templates.
Conceptual scaffolding — graphic organizers, concept maps, and analogies that connect new ideas to prior knowledge.
Strategic scaffolding — modeling problem-solving strategies, think-alouds, and metacognitive prompts.
Social scaffolding — peer tutoring, cooperative learning groups, and structured discussions.
Gradual Release of Responsibility
The 'I do, we do, you do' model is the most common framework: the teacher demonstrates, then guides practice with the class, then students work independently. This ensures students are not left unsupported at any stage.