Ohio State nav bar

Skip to main content

The Ohio State University

  • Help
  • BuckeyeLink
  • Map
  • Find People
  • Webmail
  • Search Ohio State
  • Skip to main content

Sit Together and Read

College of Education and Human Ecology
  • About STAR
    • STAR History
    • STAR-Ohio
    • STAR@Home
    • STAR Español
  • Materials
  • Research
  • Crane Center
  • Contact Us
STAR
READ-ALOUD PRACTICES

Educator Resources

  • Home
  • Background
  • Why Book Reading?
  • STAR Read-Aloud Practices
  • Scaffolding
  • STAR Cards
/ Professional Development / Background / Why Book Reading? / STAR Read-Aloud Practices / PD Scaffolding

SCAFFOLDING IN STAR


Scaffolding is a term that describes the process by which an adult supports a child to engage in a task that is slightly beyond her independent capabilities. Metaphorically, scaffolding is the support an adult provides a child so that she can reach higher levels. Scaffolding is an important aspect of the STAR read-aloud practices.


In this section, you will:

Understand the historical context of scaffolding

Identify high and low support strategies


 

hands in circle


analytics magnifying glass

ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT (ZPD)


Scaffolding is often ascribed to the Russian Psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1978)

Vygotsky’s theory of instruction emphasizes the need to offer instruction that exceeds a child’s current ability; this mechanism is termed scaffolding.

Vygotsky believed that the purpose of teaching was to help children develop skills that they had yet to grasp; thus, instruction must precede development rather than follow it.

ZPD diagram

According to Vygotsky’s theory, the ZPD describes the area between a child’s current and future ability. The ZPD is a hypothesized construct that describes the range of children’s abilities from what they are capable of doing to what they are unable to do on their own. When teaching, teachers should encourage child learning by using activities and supporting strategies that enable a child to accomplish a task with the assistance of another peer or teacher. As children begin to master skills on their own, teachers adjust their teaching strategies accordingly so that the children continue to advance.

 


  • About STAR
  • Materials
  • Research
  • Crane Center
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Sit Together and Read | The Ohio State University - College of Education and Human Ecology | Privacy Policy

If you have a disability and experience difficulty accessing this site, please contact us for assistance via email at EHE-Accessibility@osu.edu.