Editing Instructional scaffolding (section)

{{short description|Support given to a student by an instructor}}
{{Research paper|date=January 2024}}
'''Instructional scaffolding''' is the support given to a student by an instructor throughout the learning process. This support is specifically tailored to each student; this instructional approach allows students to experience [[student-centered learning]], which tends to facilitate more efficient learning than teacher-centered learning.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sawyer |first=R. Keith |title=The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2006 |isbn=9780521845540 |location=New York |author-link=Keith Sawyer}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2024}} This learning process promotes a deeper level of learning than many other common teaching strategies.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Instructional scaffolding provides sufficient support to promote [[learning]] when [[concept]]s and [[skill]]s are being first introduced to students. These supports may include resource, compelling task, templates and guides, and/or guidance on the development of [[cognitive development|cognitive]] and [[social skills]]. Instructional scaffolding could be employed through modeling a task, giving advice, and/or providing [[coaching]].

These supports are gradually removed as students develop [[wikt:autonomy|autonomous]] learning strategies, thus promoting their own [[taxonomy of education objectives|cognitive]], [[taxonomy of education objectives|affective]] and [[Taxonomy of education objectives|psychomotor]] learning skills and knowledge. Teachers help the students master a task or a concept by providing support. The support can take many forms such as outlines, recommended documents, [[storyboard]]s, or key questions.