scaffolding

noun

scaf·​fold·​ing ˈska-fəl-diŋ 

-ˌfōl-

1

: a system of scaffolds

… photographers were allowed, three at a time, to ascend the elaborate scaffolding …

—Eric Scigliano

also : material for scaffolds

2

: a support system or structure likened to a system of scaffolds

… in his readings and talks with authors, he is seeking theoretical scaffolding for his actions …

—John F. Dickerson

especially, education : a system or framework of support provided by an instructor to help a student reach the next level of learning

By identifying the next skills just above the child's current skill level, then providing scaffolding (or assistance) in a way that helps the child display the identified skills accurately, and then fading out the need for scaffolding, you can help a child to learn new things and become more independent.

—Heather Gilmore

Teachers should look for tools that help them easily adjust instructional scaffolding from assignment to assignment and from student to student—allowing them to meet students where they are as they learn to write for authentic audiences.

—Troy Hicks

Examples of scaffolding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The scaffolding around the second Trump administration’s energy policy is largely in place—the people, the pillars and the mission—to produce and export more U.S. fossil fuels to boost the economy and national security. —Dipka Bhambhani, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Nor did the erector set of metal scaffolding that restorers had built before the fire crash and knock the walls down. —Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2024

The magic trick of Akhtar’s play—its triple axel—is its human vision of McNeal within a scaffolding that becomes ever more generated by AI. —Ayad Akhtar, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024

He's been busy setting up his own scaffolding business, meaning long hours away from his family. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

scaffolding

noun

scaf·​fold·​ing ˈskaf-əl-diŋ 

-ˌōl-

1

: a system of scaffolds

2

: materials for scaffolds