Improving early education through high-quality interactions

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Scaffolding

‘Scaffolding’ is one of the most important interactions that promotes learning. It can only happen during an episode of shared attention, once you have positioned yourself at the child's level and are paying close attention to what they are focusing on.

Imagine a child is struggling with a jigsaw. They just can’t get one of the pieces into the right place. You could show them how to put the piece in its place. Or you could leave them to keep trying, to struggle on alone. But there is also another way, beyond leaving them to go it alone or doing it for them: this third way is called ‘scaffolding’.

Like everything else on the pedagogical continuum, scaffolding is an approach to use thoughtfully, when it’s the right time

Scaffolding involves providing temporary support for a child during a task, to adjust the level of challenge. This can include educators helping with elements of the task that are too difficult for the child to accomplish on their own. That means the child can concentrate on what they can do and gradually complete a challenging task. Or, an educator may provide support which makes a simpler task more challenging for the child.

Successful scaffolding enables educators to provide a level of challenge for children that is ‘just right’. This is the ‘Goldilocks principle’: not too much and not too little. It depends on the following conditions:

  • Shared attention between the child and educator
  • The educator knowing the child well: what they can and can’t do, and how to help them if they get frustrated or switched off
  • The child knowing what the end goal is, and how to be successful
  • Positivity: warm and encouraging educators who help the child to believe ‘I can do this’

Managing the range of choices can be part of the scaffolding approach. When there are too many options or ways to do something, children can become overwhelmed. They might struggle to achieve an end goal. Educators can respond by limiting the range of options and providing feedback which helps children to focus on what they can do.