Some authors deepen the understanding of scaffolding from the perspective of sociocultural learning theories, highlighting it as a form of dialogic and adaptive mediation that emerges through interaction between learners and more experienced interlocutors. Scaffolding is presented as an essential pedagogical tool that enables learners to perform linguistic tasks that are not yet within their autonomous reach, as long as they fall within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The support provided is responsive to the learner’s momentary needs and should be gradually withdrawn as the learner becomes more competent.
What distinguishes these authors’ approach is their view of scaffolding not as mere assisted instruction, but as a dynamic process of co-constructing meaning in socially situated contexts. They emphasize that in order to foster genuine linguistic development, teaching must go beyond the transmission of grammatical rules and actively create opportunities for authentic language use, where error and negotiation are integral to the learning process. Thus, scaffolding becomes a link between participation, interaction, and development, enabling learners to appropriate language as a cultural tool.
LANTOLF, J. P.; POEHNER, M. E.; THORNE, S. L. Sociocultural Theory and L2 Development. In: VANPATTEN, B.; KEATING, G.;
WULFF, S. (Eds.). Theories in Second Language Acquisition: An Introduction. New York: Routledge,2020 (adapted).
A teacher in middle school wishes to promote the linguistic development of their students based on the learning theory underlying the text. In this sense, it is coherent for them to develop as a pedagogical practice
