Zone of Proximal Development

While reading about Vygotsky's theory, I began to think about a time in which I had helped a child move a skill from their zone of proximal development to their zone of actual development. Within the reading, it is explained that, often, a teacher must offer explicit modeling and sensitive guidance in order for their students to eventually be able to do some tasks or strategies on their own. During this past summer, I did just that when I took on the difficult task of teaching the little boy, Sam, how to ride a bike. At first, he did not want to try because he was convinced that he was not going to be able to do it. I knew however, that he could learn to do it on his own with some of my help along the way. It took some time, but he eventually he agreed to give it a try. I began the lesson by modeling to him what riding a bike looked like. He had seen others ride bikes before, but I wanted to make sure he had a solid idea in his mind before he tried it himself. After that, he got on the bike and, with my help, started to pedal. I gave him support while riding and allowed him to practice with me for a long time. Eventually, I started to let go of the bike and he was able to do it all by himself. Sam had successfully moved the skill of riding his bike from his zone of proximal development to his zone of actual development, and I was very proud. I could definitely see how the idea of modeling and guidance would be beneficial to do within the classroom setting. Especially with those who are struggling, it is important to let them know that they can do some tasks with a little help from their teacher and then learn to do them on their own later.  Much like what I did with Sam, teachers must be able to locate their students zone of proximal development and offer them guidance in order to help them succeed.