One of the fundamental questions we must ask ourselves about a student is whether he/she is a "Part to Whole" (PW) or "Whole to Part" (WP) learner.  Does a student need all the details in order to fully  understand a concept or does he need to see the big picture first to truly master a concept?  The truth is that ultimately  our scaffolding, lessons, and coaching must reach  both kinds of learners.  Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming less effective.