Teachers & Education Professionals · situation guide
Give clear instructions, discuss temporary support, and check what a learner understood.
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A learner can complete a task with support before they can do it independently; describe the support and progress separately.
Vocabulary for this situation
Describe temporary task support
To scaffold a learning task is to provide support that helps a learner carry it out. Describe the temporary support and how it can be reduced as the learner becomes more independent.
“I'm scaffolding the task with a worked example, then gradually reducing that support.”
Usage note: For a parent, explain the support in ordinary language rather than relying on the term.
Make instructions easier to follow
Use clarify to make information, meaning, expectations, or a position clearer and easier to understand, often by adding detail or removing ambiguity.
“Let me clarify the order: choose one example, then explain your choice.”
Usage note: Repeating unclear wording may not resolve the confusion.
Practice “clarify” →Check understanding in different words
Use paraphrase as a verb for restating spoken or written material in different words while preserving its essential meaning, or as a noun for the resulting restatement.
“Could you paraphrase the instructions before you begin?”
Usage note: Restating should preserve the meaning, not add a new requirement.
Practice “paraphrase” →Communication sequence
I'm scaffolding the task with a worked example, then gradually reducing that support.
Let me clarify the order: choose one example, then explain your choice.
Could you paraphrase the instructions before you begin?
Common mistakes
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