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

Police said Ava had stepped out of the car at some point as strong winds blew a 2-foot by 12-foot scaffolding board from a nearby apartment building that was under construction, according to the report. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025

McGawley adds, advising that the least successful way to pass along money and assets is to wait until children reach an age milepost such as 30 and then hand over a substantial income without any scaffolding. —Christina Binkley, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2025

Faivre sells to cheesemakers large and small, including Jasper Hill Farm, a producer in Vermont whose award-winning Harbison demands a certain amount of scaffolding. —Emily Monaco With Kat Craddock, Saveur, 9 Oct. 2025

The installation will be designed by the international architecture studio Giò Forma, which envisaged a landscape of modular scaffolding, covered with a semi-transparent red fabric. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2025

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