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Williams, J. (2022, September 1). What is the Zone of Proximal Development? - Let's Go Learn. Let’s Go Learn. https://www.letsgolearn.com/reading-assessment/what-is-the-zone-of-proximal-development/
In this unit of study, there are two pieces of knowledge that have left a deep impression on me. The first one is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), proposed by Lev Vygotsky. "[The] distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers" (Cherry, K. 2020). This theory reminded me of scaffolding. During my internship year, my mentor constantly reminded me to consider each student's comfort zone, learning zone, and anxiety zone. Initially, I felt quite anxious because every student is different! What may be within one student's comfort zone could be in another student's anxiety zone! This led me to contemplate how, as a teacher, I can design differentiated instruction to help each student break through their comfort zone and reach the boundaries of the learning zone and anxiety zone.
I started by attempting to divide students of different levels into four groups. During math lessons, I would spend 15-20 minutes teaching important concepts, and then the following 25 minutes, students would work on different tasks in their groups. It worked for a couple of classes, but over time, lesson planning became extremely exhausting. I began to adjust my approach and encouraged students to help each other. Proficient students took on the role of "little teachers" and explained concepts to other students, which also helped them develop their language skills. However, there are drawbacks to this approach as well. Not every proficient student is willing to help others, and not every struggling student wants assistance from their peers.
The second point is situated cognition and learning. In the article what do new views of knowledge and thinking have to say about research on teacher learning, it mentions “if we consider the goal of education to be preparing students to be lifelong intentional learners, then activities are authentic if they serve that goal. Authentic activities foster the kinds of thinking and problem-solving skills that are important in out-of-school settings, whether or not the activities themselves mirror what practitioners do” (Putnam, R. T., & Borko, H. 2000). As a teacher in a Chinese immersion program, this is a question I must always consider when designing classroom activities. If the language learned in class are not frequently used in real-life situations (specifically referring to Chinese class, not subjects like math or science), then it becomes ineffective. To ensure that students can apply what they learn in real-life situations, I design many contextualized teaching activities and have students act them out. For example, one student may pretend to fall at a playground, and another student needs to take them to the nurse. Or when a guest visits the classroom, students practice greeting and engaging in simple conversation. The same applies to other subjects as well. Rather than having students memorize mathematical formulas, it is more effective to have them solve practical math problems. For example, if there is a swimming pool and we need to determine how much water to fill, how would we approach this problem? Students will naturally realize that they need to calculate the volume rather than the area.
These two points are highly beneficial in the daily teaching practice of educators, although we may often forget about them despite being aware. Writing this blog serves as a helpful reminder for myself and other teachers.
References:
Cherry, K. (2020, April 16). Biography of psychologist Lev Vygotsky, One of the most influential psychologists. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/lev-vygotsky-biography-2795533
Putnam, R. T., & Borko, H. (2000). What do new views of knowledge and thinking have to say about research on teacher learning? Educational Researcher, 29(1), 4-15.
Williams, J. (2022, September 1). What is the Zone of Proximal Development? - Let's Go Learn. Let’s Go Learn. https://www.letsgolearn.com/reading-assessment/what-is-the-zone-of-proximal-development/
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