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

And if you’re seated in Bayside Stadium, the scaffolding for Club Sea Glow on the stage can interfere with the air show. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 June 2025

The men were working at the site of the Cancer Pavilion Project at the University of Chicago Hospital when the scaffolding came loose during strong winds, fire officials told WBBM. —Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2025

The pair is the scaffolding of America’s mortgage market, backing roughly 70% of U.S. loans. —Quartz Staff, Quartz, 29 May 2025

Slocumb is building the scaffolding for the real story, about a father who seems to have every strike against him, yet wants to learn to be a good person. —Joan Gaylord, Christian Science Monitor, 29 May 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