Sarah Spitz's Zone of Proximal Development

Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development is complicated to understand. To simply put it, however, the Zone of Proximal Development is based on knowledge a student already has. Taking the previous knowledge of the student and applying it to other things helps to explain the Zone of Proximal Development further. Also, in talking about the Zone of Proximal Development, it important to note that it involves teacher assistance. When using the Zone of Proximal Development, a teacher must see what a student already knows and then continue in teaching something new. In order to do this, the teacher must use scaffolding techniques to teach the student. The teacher must assist the student until the new subject is mastered.

I feel that I will use the Zone of Proximal Development in my classroom. I agree that students should use their previous knowledge to learn and understand new topics. It is important that students apply what they already know to new things. I feel that as a teacher, it is also important to help students until they fully master whatever they are learning. I will use scaffolding in my classroom so that students understand new ideas fully. I will assist my students in this way when they need extra support.

I feel that as a student, the Zone of Proximal Development was used with me mostly in math. I had a math tutor from 8^th grade to freshman year in college who used this theory to help me learn and understand math. Without the scaffolding techniques of my tutor, I would have done very poorly in math. It was the tutors assistance and patience every step of the way with me that helped me to succeed.