Lev Seminovich Vygotsky's Zone Of Proximal Development

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Often referred to as the Mozart of developmental psychology, Lev Seminovich Vygotsky’s work has created ripples within the field. Developmental psychology itself offers explanations as to how and why adults and children grow and develop, shedding light on their cognitive processing (McLeod, 2012). By conducting research, developmental psychologists help individuals to reach their fullest potential, growing in understanding of life’s biological, social, emotional, and cognitive processes (American Psychology Association). Though it would seem that the science has been in existence as long as human themselves have been, this is simply not the case. Developmental psychology began after the Industrial Revolution, a time when mass manufacturing …show more content…

Because scaffolding requires increased, individual attention, it can be difficult to teach and monitor for an entire class of students.Vygotsky, however, realized this when he stated, “What children can do with the assistance of others might be in some sense even more indicative of their mental development than what they can do alone (Berger, 2015). In a manner similar to that of modeling, in the modern classroom, this zone of proximal development is often abandoned. Teachers also need to be taught within their own zone of proximal development and require assistance at times (Chung, 2007). Because teachers typically work in isolation from their peers, a study by Tharp and Gallimore suggested that current forms of staff development typically do not create the adaptations in teaching they were created to bring about (Chung, 2007). The concepts of Vygotsky are tethered to each other. Because teachers are not supported in their own zone of proximal development, they are given fewer and fewer opportunities to receive assistance through criticism and modeling, leaving educators feeling isolated (Chung,

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