The Scaffolding Principle

The Russian psychologist Vygotsky described the zone of proximal development — the gap between what a child can do alone and what they can do with help.

Your role is to provide scaffolding — temporary support that you gradually remove as competence grows. Think of it like training wheels. You do not remove them on day one, and you do not leave them on forever. The timing of the pull-back matters as much as the initial support.