SCAFFOLDING YOUR ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT

One thing that I really like about scaffolding is the learning gap. That’s because you are scaffolding the person who is learning from where her skills and competence is currently to where they will be in the future. The gap between now and then is the learning gap. The scaffolding is the learning methodology.

To picture this, think of two axes— guidance axis which designs the person’s next level of development something he can now do only with some assistance. The performance axis measures what learning the person can perform by herself and needs no assistance. At the lower end is what the person can now do independently. That is, she can do without assistance. At the higher end is what the person can do now with assistance from someone who either has the desired competence or who knows how to facilitate its development.