ABSTRACT
The learning sciences community worries a lot about the notion of scaffolding. Scaffolding implies that given appropriate assistance, a learner can attain a goal or engage in a practice otherwise out of reach. Accepting that it is not only more able adults who can provide scaffolding extends the traditional definition of the construct. This point has considerable importance for work in the learning sciences because it encourages the investigation of scaffolding embedded in technological tools and activity structures. Scaffolding that problematizes student work draws learners' attention to issues or tasks they might otherwise choose to ignore, in part because of their natural tendency toward the path of least cognitive resistance. Some may wonder what scaffolding teachers or parents need, and others may wonder about the most productive ways for kids to actively scaffold each other.
