Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Think back to some of your most frustrating learning experiences. There were likely some lessons that went so far beyond your existing knowledge that you quickly became overwhelmed. On the other hand, there may have also been times when the lessons were so easy or repetitive that you quickly lost interest.

Now, think of the learning experiences that were most successful. They probably seemed “just right”—building upon your prior knowledge while still teaching you something new, with support provided along the way.

Lessons at this level fall into what is known as the zone of proximal development, part of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development. This zone can be considered when designing lessons to meet the diverse needs of students in the classroom.

In this video, we will describe Vygotsky’s Theory, including the zone of proximal development. We will also explain the implications of both for classroom teaching.

Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development: An Overview

Lev Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist who studied children’s development. Over his lifetime, he contributed many theories about learning, language, sociology and memory. Much of his work was completed in the early 1900s, around the same time that notable figures Piaget, Freud, and Pavlov were becoming influential in their respective areas.

Vygotsky and Piaget are often discussed alongside each other, though there are some key differences in their theories. For example, Piaget believed that all children go through a series of stages of development in a certain order. Vygotsky disagreed, theorizing that social and cultural influences affected development strongly, indicating that children of the same age might develop very differently from each other.

According to Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development, children develop their beliefs, values, and cognitive processes through their interactions with others, such as family members and others in the community. This social interaction influences the ways children make sense of their surroundings and develop problem-solving skills.

Vygotsky’s theory suggests that this development occurs best under a couple of conditions. First, children must interact with people known as “more knowledgeable others.” Next, learning experiences must occur in the zone of proximal development, which I mentioned earlier. Let’s explore each of these conditions now.

“More Knowledgeable Others”

According to Vygotsky’s theory, cognitive development occurs when a child interacts with others who have a higher ability in the task being completed. In a classroom environment, this typically includes the teacher and more skilled peers. These “more knowledgeable others,” as Vygotsky referred to them, provide scaffolding that gradually decreases over time until the student can complete the task independently. Scaffolding can include modeling, asking guided questions, providing feedback, and more.

In accordance with this theory, it is important for teachers to model new skills, followed by guided practice with customized feedback. Over time, the scaffolding can gradually be reduced as students develop proficiency. Teachers can also incorporate tools like graphic organizers and anchor charts to assist students.

It is also important for students to have frequent interactions with peers. Teachers can plan classroom discussions, literature circles, think-pair-share activities, and collaborative, project-based learning opportunities.

“Zone of Proximal Development”

Vygotsky also explained that learning activities should occur within a student’s “zone of proximal development.” This is the zone in which the student can complete the activity with some assistance from a more knowledgeable other.

In other words, a learning activity should not be so easy that a student can complete it independently without learning anything new. Similarly, it should not be so difficult that it is out of reach even with assistance from others.

Let’s take a look at an example now.

Third-grade students have recently learned to write a one-paragraph personal narrative. As a logical next step, the teacher plans to teach students to expand their narrative responses to two paragraphs. Through modeling and guided practice, students can reasonably be expected to succeed in this next step. This learning experience builds slightly upon students’ existing knowledge and is in the zone of proximal development.

On the other hand, asking students to next write a three-sentence narrative would be too simplistic. It would not extend their existing knowledge or increase cognitive development.

Similarly, it would not be reasonable to expect students to write a five-paragraph research report next. This would be too large of a jump from students’ existing skills and would likely lead to frustration, even if assistance and scaffolding are provided.

Teachers should consider students’ zones of proximal development when planning activities and choosing learning materials. For example, elementary teachers may implement guided reading groups using texts at students’ instructional reading levels rather than expecting all students to read the same texts. This facilitates growth for all students rather than leading to boredom or frustration.

Review

Let’s review what we’ve discussed in this video.

• According to Vygotsky, cognitive development is a social and cultural process. Children form values, beliefs, and problem-solving skills through interactions with family members and others in the community.

 

• Vygotsky explained that children learn new skills with the assistance of more knowledgeable others, or people who have higher abilities in the tasks being completed. In a classroom environment, this typically includes the teacher and peers.

 

• According to Vygotsky, cognitive development occurs best when students complete learning activities within the zone of proximal development. These are activities that students are able to complete with some assistance from others, known as scaffolding.

Questions

Now, let’s go over a couple of review questions:

A science class is completing a series of lessons on composting. As part of their studies, students will learn about the benefits and challenges of composting and write letters to local leaders recommending the creation of a city-wide composting program. How might the teacher incorporate scaffolding from more knowledgeable others during these lessons?

A teacher is introducing a lesson on three-digit by two-digit multiplication. On a recent assessment, a new student in the class struggled to solve two-digit by one-digit problems correctly. Describe whether or not the lesson is within the new student’s zone of proximal development and what steps the teacher may take in this situation.

That’s all for this review! Thanks for watching, and happy studying.