Which statement best defines scaffolding in education?

• A. Providing feedback after each lesson
• B. Gradually releasing responsibility to students as they gain independence
• C. Providing support that helps students achieve independence
• D. Giving students all tasks without guidance

Answer: (C)

Scaffolding is about providing supports that help students reach independence in a task. A teacher offers targeted help—such as modeling steps, prompts, or guiding questions—and then fades those supports as the student becomes more competent. The goal is to keep the assistance temporary and specific so the learner can eventually perform the work on their own. This idea connects to the zone of proximal development, where guidance is most effective when it bridges what the student can do alone and what they can do with help. Providing support that helps students achieve independence best captures this concept. Feedback after lessons is valuable, but it describes feedback, not the overall scaffolding approach. Giving students all tasks without guidance is the opposite of scaffolding.