Cambourne, their mistakes are very important and essential to learning. Gradually, the child‟s attempts become closer and closer to skillful bike riding. In
more formal settings, learning follows a similar pattern, learners go through various approximations as they strive to develop their knowledge of new
concepts. In each case, the device or person helps learners do what they cannot yet do independently. Often, scaffolding takes the form of collaborative effort and
accomplishment. Success through working together starts learners on their way to being able to do the activity independently. When adults “scaffold” student‟s
learning by helping them do what they cannot yet do alone, we are modeling the processes involved and enabling the learners to become a little more competent
each time to eventually carry out the processes themselves. Bruner created a concept of scaffolding based on his readings of
Vygotsky‟s zone of proximal development. His use of the term scaffolding seemingly describes what mothers often do to enable and make more manageable
children‟s learning of language: The mother‟s support includes helping the child focus his or her attention to pertinent aspects of the task and modeling her
expectations of the child. The teacher brings the student to new levels of skill and understanding by breaking up a task into smaller and more comprehensible steps.
Some steps are more complex than others and require more support intellectually and emotionally. The teacher‟s task is to determine students‟ current levels of
knowledge and skill, and then develop activities that guide these students to higher levels of practice. Just as mothers extend the range of contexts and serve as
“communicative ratchets” for their children helping them to avoid sliding backwards once they have made forward steps teachers must use this skill in the
classroom. Teachers must assume this role in the classroom and become the communicative ratchets helping children build and maintain literacy
competencies. The desired outcome is for students to need less and less support to complete a task successfully; therefore, the teacher gradually provides less
support until it has been removed totally. The student should ultimately perform the task independently, internalize the rules governing the task, and re-create it
alone. To extend the student‟s learning, the teacher may then create a new level of difficulty, or move the student into a new area of challenge.
Other experts; Holton and Clerk said that scaffolding is an act of teaching that i supports the immediate construction of knowledge by the learners and ii
provides the basis for the future independent learning of individual. Then, Rodgers defined at least there are two definition about its based
from his‟ view; 1 in learning, the gradual withdrawal of adult e.g., teacher support, as through
instruction, modeling, questioning, feedback, etc., for a child‟s performance across successive engagements, thus transferring more and more autonomy to the
child. 2 a process that “enables a child or novice to solve a task or achieve a goal
that would be beyond his unassisted efforts.
13
From all those explanation, scaffolding could be said as a concept that has led the development of other approaches that seek to understand the nature of
learning a key approach that is concerned with learning interaction.
2. The Kinds of Scaffolding
Since the term scaffolding was coined in 1976, so many experts try to divide scaffolding into many kinds. Even there are so many kinds of scaffolding
but the important feature of scaffolding is that it supports students‟ learning of
both how to do the task as well as why the task should be done that way.
14
Generally, scaffolding devided into four kinds.
15
They are: a.
Writing Skills Practice skills or strategies which usually do not make up a paper in
and of themselves but are key implicit or explicit components of the final paper.
13
Rollins, Judith B, “A Study Examining the Impact of Scaffolding Young Children’s
Acquisition of Literacy in Primary Grades. ” A Dissertation at Louisiana State University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College, 2007, p. 12.
14
Hmelo-Silver, Cindy E., Ravit Golan Duncan, and Clark A. Chinn, Scaffolding and Achievement in Problem-Based and Inquiry Learning: A Response to Kirschner, Sweller, and
Clark 2006, Educational Psychologist, 42, 2, 2007, p. 100.
15
Campus Writing Program, Liberal Arts and International Studies, Colorado School of Mines, 23 May 2005. http:www.mines.eduAcademiclaiswcwaceffectivescaffoldinghtml
b. Context-Based
Journal entries focused on exploring the content of the assignment. c.
Rhetorical Skills Practice in the aspect of the rhetorical situation and how changing the
situation changes writing. d.
Text-Based Closer to prewriting; journal entries which help the reader interact
with a text more incisively, proving ideas for the reader-turned-writer. Two of the experts who tried to divided kinds of scaffolding are Hannafin
and Land. They divide scaffolding into four kinds; conceptual scaffolding, metacognitive scaffolding, procedural scaffolding, and strategic scaffolding.
Conceptual scaffolding means to provide guidance on what to consider. Then, metacognitive scaffolding which indicates guidance on how to think about the
problem under study, and procedural scaffolding which is used to refer to guidance on how to utilise resources and tools. The last is strategic scaffolding
which is applied to offer guidance on approaches to solving the problem. Based on Galea, scaffolding can consist of tools, strategies and guides
which support students so that they can achieve a higher level of meaning making. Holton and Clarke propose more concrete tools be used as scaffold; book,
internet, telephone, etc.,. Langley viewed that the important thing is scaffolding can be provided through suppying hints, prompts, probes, simplifications, or other
similar learning support. Based on her view even there are so many kinds of scaffolding but the essential is that the students could use scaffolding from any
sources in order to help herhis in finishing their task.
3. The Advantage of Using Scaffolding Technique
Beside define about definition of scaffolding, some experts also tried to mention some advantages by using scaffolding technique, especially in writing. In
Rollin‟s view, the ultimate goal of scaffolding is to develop an independent, self-
regulated learner.
16
This is accomplished by fading the support, or relinquishing the control and assistance provided by the more knowledgeable person as the
child begins to achieve more independence and knowledge. Vygotsky stated that scaffolding makes the learning more tractable for students by changing complex
and difficult tasks in ways that make these tasks accessible, manageable, and within student‟s zone of proximal development.
17
Hayati in her journals mentioned some experts who tried to mention the advantage. Based on Hyland, the advantage is increasing the effectiveness in
teaching writing composition. Then, according to Bodrova scaffolding can help learners reach the potential levels of writing performance.
Angela Lui in her paper entitle Teaching in the Zone try to show some advantages for students and teachers in using scaffolding technique. Here the
table
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: Students are provided with....
Teachers could.... 1.
Challanging but reasonable tasks that
stimulate thinking
and motivate efforts to learn
2. Meaningful
instruction and
feedback that helps drive further development at an appropriate pace
3. A learning environment where they
are valued as individuals, a collaborative group, and a class
4. A learning environment where
their creativity
and thought
processes are acknowledged and accepted
1. Identify and use areas of strength
and weakness to tailor learning experiences at the individual and
group level 2.
Engage students
in social
interactions to enable learning 3.
Better understand students as individual learners, learners in a
small group setting and learners in a larger social setting
4. Discover unique thought processes
that different students may use to solve problem
16
Judith B. Rollins, “A Study Examining the Impact of Scaffolding Young Children’s
Acquisition of Literacy in Primary Grades. ” A Dissertation at Louisiana State University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College, 2007, p. 18.
17
Cindy E. Hmeleo-Silver , “Scaffolding and Achievement in Problem-Based and
Inquiring,” Educational Psyhchologist, 42, 2, 2007, p. 99.
18
Angela Lui, Teaching in the Zone, Children’s Progress, 2012, p.5.
