Top 10 unbelievable historical concurrencies. Scaffolding theory is an approach to education in which an emphasis is placed on what type of material a student can learn, often with regard to what material he or she may require assistance with learning.s scaffolding theory is applied, the zone of proximal development for a student shifts. The information he or she has learned moves inward toward the center and expands the information that he or she can learn without help.