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Scaffolding

First introduced by Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976), the concept of “scaffolding” uses an analogy between the building of a concept or skill in a child and the building of a house.

Although at the present time, this concept is being used in a fairly broad sense, often synonymously with “teaching,” the original meaning of this term refers to the situation where a gradual release of responsibility is taking place with the learner gradually becoming more responsible for his/her own learning. The teacher gives hints and prompts to support the learner and then gradually withdraws these supports as the learner can perform independently.

Source(s)

Wood, D., Bruner, J. C., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 89-100.