%% [[Learning]] tags:: #note/idea | #on/learning | #on/training | #on/simulation | #on/teaching | #on/coaching people:: # Zone of Proximal Development Lon Setnik dates:: 2022-06-06 %% *The space between where I can do it alone and where I need help.* This reminds me of [[Flow]], where you want to be in the area where you are capable but not guaranteed. It reminds me of growth [[Mindset]], where you are thinking you want to stretch yourself. It's kind of like how a [[learning leader]] helps you achieve or think things you didn't know you were capable of. Since [[we are all the hero of our own story]], we get to write that we overcame by moving our zone of proximal development with [[Deliberate Practice]]. > The **zone of proximal development** (ZPD) is the distance between what a learner is capable of doing unsupported, and what they can do supported. It is the range where they are capable only with support from someone with more knowledge or expertise ("more knowledgeable other"), the degree to which children can rapidly develop under social guidance, as compared to alone. Some educators believe that the role of education is to give children experiences that are within their zones of proximal development, thereby encouraging and advancing their individual learning such as skills and strategies. ![[Zone of Proximal Development.jpg]] This matters because as the [[learning leader]] if you are helping with [[Learner-Centered]], you help your students identify both their [[zone of proximal development]], and what tools they need to advance their zone. Teachers should assign tasks that students cannot do on their own, but which they can do with assistance; they should provide just enough assistance so that students learn to complete the tasks independently and then provide an environment that enables students to do harder tasks than would otherwise be possible. Be careful with over-simplification of around this model, [[all models are wrong but some are useful]]. ZPD is basically the metaphor of the Bohr model for atoms brought to human behavior. [[External Scaffolding]] is a key step to learners moving through the ZPD. ### What would the opposite argument be? Learning also requires [[self-efficacy]], [[motivation]], [[focus attention]] and since [[social-cognitive learning theory]] tells us that learning is a social activity, the ZPD doesn't account for the social supports provided. [[Learner-Centered]] also requires significant teacher attention, which means that in group settings it can be difficult to find and scaffold the ZPD for each student. Peers may provide erroneous feedback. ## Sources: > [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone%20of%20proximal%20development) [[Sharpening a tool for teaching - The zone of proximal development]]