What does the zone of proximal development show?
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Learners are provided with research summaries along with a diagrammatical representation of each idea. Show © National STEM Learning Centre Below we have provided a summary of Vygotsky’s concept of the “Zone of Proximal Development.” You may be already familiar with this, but here we’d like you to refresh and focus on how this might inform your thoughts on challenge and learning. Vygotsky stresses the importance of looking at each child as an individual who learns distinctively. Consequently, the knowledge and skills that are worthwhile learning varies with the individual. The overall goal of education according to Vygotsky is to “generate and lead development which is the result of social learning through internalization of culture and social relationships”. He repeatedly stressed the importance of past experiences and prior knowledge in making sense of new situations or present experiences. Therefore, all new knowledge and newly introduced skills are greatly influenced by each student’s culture, especially their family environment. Vygotsky promoted the development of higher level thinking and problem solving in education. If situations are designed to have students utilize critical thinking skills, their thought processes are being challenged and new knowledge gained. The knowledge achieved through experience also serves as a foundation for the behaviours of every individual. Vygotsky’s concept of the “Zone of Proximal Development” (ZPD) posits that human potential is theoretically limitless; but the practical limits of human potential depend upon quality social interactions and residential environment. This ZPD is “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers”. In theory, then, so long as a person has access to a more capable peer, any problem can be solved.  The ZPD works in conjunction with the use of scaffolding. Knowledge, skills and prior experiences, which come from an individual’s general knowledge, create the foundation of scaffolding for potential development. At this stage, students interact with adults and/or peers to accomplish a task, which could possibly not be completed independently. The use of language and shared experience is essential to successfully implementing scaffolding as a learning tool. Vygotsky defined the “More Knowledgeable Other” (MKO) as anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, particularly in regards to a specific task, concept or process. Traditionally the MKO is thought of as a teacher or an older adult. However, this is not always the case. Other possibilities for the MKO could be a peer, sibling, a younger person, or even a computer. The key to MKO is that they must have more knowledge about the topic being learned than the learner does. Teachers or more capable peers can raise the student’s competence through the ZPD. In summaryVygotsky’s findings suggest that the curriculum should generally challenge and stretch learner’s competence. The curriculum should provide many opportunities to apply previous skills, knowledge and experiences, with “authentic activities connected to real-life environment” “… since children learn much through interaction, curricula should be designed to emphasize interaction between learners and learning tasks”. (Adapted from ‘The Educational Theory of Lev Vygotsky: an analysis’ M. Dahms, K. Geonnotti, D. Passalacqua. J. N. Schilk, A. Wetzel, and M. Zulkowsky, 2007.)
© National STEM Learning Centre The zone of proximal development (ZPD), also known as the zone of potential development, is a concept often used in classrooms to help students with skill development. The core idea of the ZPD is that a more knowledgeable person can enhance a student’s learning by guiding them through a task slightly above their ability level. As the student becomes more competent, the expert gradually stops helping until the student can perform the skill by themselves. The idea of the ZPD came from a Russian psychologist named Lev Vygotsky in the early 1900s. Vygotsky believed that every person has two stages of skill development:
He referred to the level an individual can achieve with help as their ZPD. The idea of pairing instruction with a student is known as scaffolding, which is one of the core concepts of Vygotsky’s idea of the ZPD. The person performing the scaffolding can be a teacher, a parent, or even a peer. Scaffolding and the ZPD are often used in preschool and elementary classrooms, but the same principles can be applied outside of a school setting. A parent teaching a child how to ride a bike or a coach walking an athlete through how to throw a ball are also an example of these concepts. In this article, we’ll break down the different stages of the ZPD and explain how the ZPD and scaffolding can be practically applied to help an individual’s learning. The ZPD can be broken into three stages. Think of them as a series of overlapping circles:
Instructional scaffolding is a method of teaching that helps a student learn a new skill. It involves a more knowledgeable person guiding a student through a task that’s in their ZPD. As a learner’s ability to complete a skill improves, the instructor should lessen the amount of aid they provide. The concept can be applied in the classroom to a variety of subjects, including language, math, and science. Teachers can use scaffolding by using techniques like:
Scaffolding can also be used outside the classroom. Many coaches may use scaffolding in sports to teach athletes new motor skills. Scaffolding provides a student with a supportive learning environment where they can ask questions and receive feedback. The following are some benefits of scaffolding a student:
The following are examples of questions you could ask a learner while scaffolding them to help them with their learning:
Who can be a ‘more knowledgeable other’?In Vygotsky’s framework, the “more knowledgeable other” is a term for someone who guides a learner through a new skill. This can be anybody with a mastery of the skill being taught. In a classroom setting, it’s often a teacher or tutor. However, even a peer with mastery of the subject could potentially scaffold another student. When performed properly, the concept of the ZPD and scaffolding can help students solve problems that would otherwise be beyond their capability. Here are a couple examples of how it could be used in the classroom. Example 1A kindergarten student is learning how to add two numbers together. They can successfully add numbers together that are less than 10 but have trouble with bigger numbers. Their teacher shows them an example of how to solve a problem using large numbers before getting them to try a similar problem themselves. When the student gets stuck, the teacher provides hints. Example 2A child in preschool is trying to learn how to draw a rectangle. Their teacher breaks down the process for them by first drawing two horizontal lines and then drawing two vertical lines. They ask the student to do the same. Even though scaffolding has many benefits for learners, there may also be some challenges in a classroom setting. To properly scaffold, the teacher needs to have an understanding of a student’s ZPD to make sure the student works at an appropriate level. Scaffolding works best when a student is working within their skill level. If they’re working above their ZPD, they won’t benefit from scaffolding. The following are also potential problems in the classroom when it comes to scaffolding:
The ZPD and scaffolding are two concepts that can efficiently help someone learn a skill. Scaffolding involves an experienced instructor guiding a learner through a task that’s in their ZPD. An individual’s ZPD includes any task that can only be completed with help. When scaffolding a learner, the goal isn’t to feed the learner answers but to aid their learning with certain techniques, like prompting, modeling, or giving clues. As a learner starts to master a skill, the amount of support given should be reduced. What does the zone of proximal development say about assessment?When assessment takes place in the zone of proximal development, its object is not learner progression as such but rather learner responsiveness to different forms of scaffolding (Wood, Bruner & Ross, 1976) or, in other words, the interdependence of learning and teaching processes.
What does Vygotsky say about the zone of proximal development?ZPD is defined by Vygotsky (1978) as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” (p. 86).
Why is the ZPD so important in teaching?Understanding how to locate and use each student's ZPD can help you plan more targeted instruction for your whole class, small groups, and individuals. Ultimately, aligning classroom teaching strategies to students' ZPDs can help educators more effectively guide all students in their early childhood learning.
How do you determine a child's zone of proximal development?How do you find the zone of proximal development? In order to determine where a child is within the zone of proximal development, teachers and parents ask questions and observe a child's unique learning style. You can then track the child's current learning needs and the shifts in these needs as the child develops.
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