In a task just beyond a child’s independent reach, adults and more-competent peers contribute significantly to the child’s development by providing the support or assistance that allows the child to succeed at that task. Once children make this stretch to a new level in a supportive context, they can go on to use the skill independently and in a variety of contexts, laying the foundation for the next challenge. Provision of such support, often called scaffolding,121 is a key feature of effective teaching.122