Is the Flying Buttress a Better Metaphor?
Dr. Stone’s paper is a rare illustration of not only how a compelling metaphor influences science but also how an idea evolves when it is applied to real children in real educational settings. Why was the metaphor of scaffolding so immediately attractive to the field of learning disabilities (LD)? We propose that the term was assimilated into our vocabulary so easily because, at first glance, it is evocative of our historically behaviorist roots. It highlights our field’s emphasis on individualized instruction and making appropriate modifications in the general education curriculum. Scaffolding seems to fall within the same semantic network as other behaviorist terms that seem to be metaphors from the building industry, such as reinforcement, shaping, modeling, and…
