Scaffolding In Education, Why Is It So Important?

Although the term scaffolding may cause us confusion, the truth is that much more is carried out in education than we think. In fact, it is extremely useful to promote learning, in addition to the development of skills. However, this is not only intended for young people in kindergarten or primary education. Also to students of secondary education or, even, university.

How could we define the concept of scaffolding? If we take into account some studies we can say that “the scaffolding refers to the different levels of help offered by the adult to the child in a family situation, in order to facilitate the learner the completion of the task that he has not been able to solve. by itself”. However, this definition can be nuanced, since, as we have pointed out, the scaffolding can also be used for university students.

Vygotsky and the scaffolding

The term scaffolding is based on Vygotsky’s constructivist vision of the effective development of the student. This psychologist introduced a fundamental concept known as the zone of proximal development. This term referred to that band in which, due to their difficulty, were those challenges that were capable of putting the skills of the apprentice to the test, a place that leaves aside the tasks that are impossible for him -with and without a certain orientation. – and to another those that are very easy.

Psychic development would be everything that a person can do for himself. Instead, development potential is what you can achieve when a teacher or trained adult helps you or acts as a guide. In this existing distance between these two developments would be the term scaffolding. Without this tool an individual can achieve a goal that he could not achieve on his own. This can be doing a job, finishing an exercise, or carrying out a project.

There are no shortcuts in scaffolding. It is not about giving everything chewed to each student, regardless of the educational level they are studying. This tool allows a trained person such as a teacher or a parent to provide the resources that the learner needs to complete a challenge, but without assuming the burden when completing the task; this will always correspond to the apprentice.

Keys to effective scaffolding

In order for the scaffolding to be carried out effectively and to really become a support in the development of psychological processes, a series of rules must be taken into account. If any of them are not present, the scaffolding may not give the expected results.

• The student must get involved in the activity : this means that it is essential that they make personal contributions. To do this, the activity must be adapted to your level.
• The importance of adaptation and challenge : although the activity must be appropriate for the level that the student has, it must also provide a challenge point to allow him to progress, not stagnate.
• Development of structured learning : activities or tasks must be organized in a way that provides natural development and progress.
• Guide intervention : the person who guides the scaffolding must act as a collaborator, guiding the student. This must be done through an interaction where communication is fluid.

The transfer of control

When the scaffolding is carried out in the appropriate way and the student is allowed to reach the development of their potential, what we can call “transfer of control” will emerge. The student is confident in their new skills and abilities, which will allow them to feel more in control of the situation in front of them. Thus, we will ensure that you always maintain the feeling of responsibility for the task you carry out.

What is achieved is that the student learns an active and committed behavior with something as simple as an exercise. However, what seems somewhat trivial will have its importance in your daily life; the scaffolding helps to build much more elaborate structures of knowledge, reinforcing the apprentice with his own achievement : he has been the protagonist.

Although we have done it on different occasions without giving it a name, scaffolding is a tool that is frequently used to allow adequate development in each student. Unfortunately, there are teachers who do not put it into practice, despite the fact that it is a fantastic tool for the learner to learn to live with frustration, to take responsibility for the part that he can control and to grow skills and knowledge.