ABSTRACT
This chapter continues the themes of assisted performance and transitions in literacy learning. It discusses how learning theory and research-based practices provide an apprenticeship framework for scaffolding young learners. The chapter argues that reading proficiency in the early grades is essential for future success, and presents a theory of interactive learning within social contexts. Literacy is no longer regarded as simply a cognitive skill to be learned. According to Wood, the critical part of scaffolding is the adult’s ability to determine the child’s zone of proximal development, thus providing appropriate instructional strategies that create a shift in the child’s level of cognitive functioning. As children progress through the zone of proximal development, it is important that teachers value the ups and downs of new learning and be able to provide adjustable support that accommodates it. Children develop a conscious awareness of their own mental functions as they engage in literacy activities with their teacher.
