Adaptation and authority in scaffolding and teacher–student relationships: Commentary on the Special Issue ‘Conceptualising and grounding scaffolding in complex educational contexts’

Three issues are addressed in this commentary. The first issue concerns the application of the concept of scaffolding to situations that go beyond its original context of one-to-one learning–teaching interactions, typically involving a parent and a child. Do interactions between a teacher and a whole classroom or a group of students still fit into the original conception of scaffolding as sensitive, responsive support which results in the eventual handover of responsibility to the learners? How can the concept of scaffolding be meaningfully related to other approaches to teaching, e.g., approaches that involve dialogic teaching or the use of new meditational means? The second issue is about the relationship between educational research and educational practice. It is important to ensure that descriptions of particular, efficacious teaching–learning interactions do not inadvertently become construed as prescriptions regarding the nature and conduct of effective teaching–learning interactions. A third issue relates to the social context of scaffolding interactions. Scaffolding is not merely a form of social interaction, it is significant precisely because it entails the assertion and acknowledgement of power and authority.