Breaking instruction into manageable units with the teacher providing decreasing levels of support as the student grasps new concepts and masters new skills.

Scaffolding provides temporary, adjustable support for students to learn complex tasks. Van De Pol et al. (2010) identified three components of scaffolding:

1. Contingency, which is adapting support for the learner, can be achieved by using diagnostic assessments to inform instruction.
2. Fading is a gradual removal of support, based upon the child’s mastery with the skill or concept.
3. Transfer of responsibility occurs when the student takes increased control over their learning after a period of direct, explicit instruction.

Educators can use scaffolding to ensure working memory is not overloaded when new information is being presented. Cueing, which reduces the amount of incoming information, and chunking, which connects information to existing knowledge, have positive effects on cognitive load in the classroom. Scaffolds are temporary supports and should be removed once students are able to complete the skill accurately, automatically, and across unique settings

When working with students on skills, teachers can consult the Instructional hierarchy (Haring et al., 1978) to determine the appropriate stage of learning and the most effective scaffolds.