How Teachers Can Use This Theory in the Classroom:
- Teachers should make their lesson plans challenging for the student, but also achievable. You don't want to make your students frustrated, but you also don't want to bore them!
- The theoretical origin of scaffolding comes from Vygotsky's ZPD.
- Vygotsky believed that the variability in skill development among learners is directly linked to the level of support provided during the learning event.
Research:
- In their article "Effective Teaching and Learning: Scaffolding revisited," Joan Bliss, Mike Askew, and Sheila Macrae say that scaffolding "could happen in school, but it is more difficult than we initially imagined" (p. 59). Teachers must have a strong knowledge of the content they are teaching if they are to effectively scaffold instruction, but scaffolding is well-worth the effort teachers put into it!
- According to a study conducted by Chambers, Carbonaro, & Rex (2007), the amount of support students receive during instruction can impact their ability to develop cognitive and behavioral skill sets.