Vygotsky’s+Zone+of+Proximal+Development


 * Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD)** theorizes that the most effective teaching occurs just outside what the learner can do without assistance, within the zone where with the assistance of others the learner is capable of achieving more than if they were working on their own. Vygotsky focused his theory on the educational needs to children but it is equally relevant for adult learners. Learners who are operating within a Learning Community have the the advantage of their instructor and their peers to activate learning.



The expansion of Vygotsky's original theory has resulted in the development of instructional strategies to support the activation of the learner's ZPD. Scaffolding is one such strategy. Scaffolding is a process through which a teacher or competent peer guides the learner via focused questions and positive interactions to activate the learner's ZPD. Scaffolding provides a context, motivation, or foundation from which learners can understand the new information.

The wide variety of strategies encompassed by scaffolding include:


 * Breaking a complex task into simpler steps to facilitate achievement.
 * Utilizing associational hooks and activating prior knowledge by asking students to contribute their own experiences.
 * Showing students examples of expected outcomes prior to task completion such as previous student's work.
 * Offering hints, verbal cues or partial solutions to prompt learners.
 * Providing context for learning in the form of visual or graphs.
 * Asking questions to encourage deeper understanding of concepts such as reciprocal teaching.
 * Modeling an activity such as through role play.

Tinsley and Lebak (2009) theorize that an adult's capacity for reflection can expand when learners are working collaborating with other adults with similar goals. When adults share feedback, analysis and evaluation of one another work the capacity for critical reflection is expanded. This capacity, referred to as the 'Zone of Reflective Capacity' is enhanced as trust and mutual understanding among a learning community grows.