Scaffolding in education means giving students temporary support so they can complete a task or understand an idea that would be too difficult alone. As students improve, the support is gradually reduced.
Examples of scaffolding
Examples include sentence starters, worked examples, graphic organizers, guided questions, vocabulary lists, modeling, chunked tasks, checklists, and teacher prompts.
Why scaffolding works
Scaffolding pairs well with differentiated instruction because different learners may need different supports. The goal is independence, not permanent help.
Good scaffolding makes challenging work possible without removing the thinking students need to do.