In this commentary, we discuss the outcomes of effective scaffolding, the processes by which successful scaffolding works, and consider implications for children with learning disabilities or below-average academic progress. Scaffolding aims at transferring responsibility for task accomplishment from a competent person to a learner. In the context of children with educational problems, we explicate our view that current practices in many schools may result in a kind of reverse-scaffolding, preventing rather than encouraging transfer of responsibility for tasks.
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