Scaffolding

Learning is an ongoing process in which we move from what is known to that which is new. Thinking of this process linearly, on one extreme would be things that you know so well you take them for granted: tying your shoes, zipping a coat, or where the light switches are in your home. On the other extreme are concepts new to us that are beyond our capability to learn or even so new that we are unaware of our own ignorance: quantum physics for example. Somewhere in the middle is where your current learning takes place. 

Psychologist Lev Vygotski theorized that on this continuum, learners have a sweet spot in which learning is maximized. There are two terms that are key to understanding Vygotski's theories on learning. The Zone of Proximal Development (the conditions for optimal learning) and the More Knowledgeable Other (someone with a better understanding or higher ability level than the learner with respect to a particular task or concept).

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is divided into three zones:

1. Known or Current Understanding: These are concepts the learner knows already and can work with unassisted.
2. Zone of Proximal Development: This represents that which the learner finds difficult or challenging, but can be done with guidance and encouragement from their More Knowledgeable Other. 
3. Unknown: These are concepts that are out of reach for the learner.

Scaffolding is the act of a More Knowledgeable Other providing support for learners to move beyond their current, or actual, knowledge to help them maximize their learning potential. 

Scaffolding can come in many forms and should be incorporated during course design. Using the backward design process, you will need to figure out three things:

1. Where do you think your students' ZPD will be? (This includes developing learning outcomes for the course.)
2. How will you measure whether or not they are moving through the ZPD successfully?  (This is how you develop assessments.)
3. What supports will be helpful to the most common learning in your course? Often you can anticipate when and where students may be challenged or stretched during the course and build in appropriate scaffolding and support.

Examples

1. Break complex ideas into sub-tasks
2. Modeling thinking or a process for students (e.g., I do, you do, we do)
3. Activating students' prior knowledge - using ideas that are already known to students in order to help them make meaning of new ideas
4. Provide graphic organizers or ways to help students organize their thinking as they process concepts. 
5. Provide guiding questions for a discussion.
6. Provide a list of vocabulary that students should use during a discussion to help deepen their knowledge and incorporate new concepts into their working vocabulary.

Just as in construction, once the building is complete the scaffolding is removed, when learners have mastered a concept, the supports that were in place can be removed. As the ZPD moves higher, scaffolding can be removed from what is now known and applied to the new and more challenging material. Knowing when to add and remove scaffolding is part of the art of teaching, especially when students in the class learn at varying paces. But if good assessments are in place, then you will have good data in hand to help inform your scaffolding choices.