Scaffolding

Scaffolding is the process by which someone organizes an event that is unfamiliar or beyond a learner's ability in order to assist the learner in carrying out that event. Learners are encouraged to carry out parts of tasks that are within their ability, and the adult "fills in" or "scaffolds" the rest. The scaffolding involves recruiting the learners interest, reducing their choices, maintaining their goal orieintation, highlighting critical aspects of the task, controlling their frustration, and demonstrating activity paths to them (Wood, Bruner, Ross, 1976; Wood & Middleton, 1975).

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Stone, C. Addison (1993). What is missing in the metaphor of scaffolding? In E. Forman, Minick, N., Stone, C. (Ed.), Contexts for learning: Sociocultural dynamics in children's development (pp. 169-183). NY: Oxford University Press.

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