Welcome to our presentation on Vygotsky. Each section includes a video of the page's content. Feel free to watch or read, then complete the activities
The Zone of Proximal Development and the More Knowledgeable Other theories are commonly implemented in a classroom setting. The first example is the course Peer Tutoring. In high schools, grade 11 and 12 students can enroll in a course that places them in a class and helps different students. Once the gap has been established in the ZPD, teachers can allocate their peer tutors to work with specific students who may be working at a different pace than the rest of the class.
Group work allows different students to bridge their ZPD. Different students have various strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to learn from one another. Teachers will often create groups that balance each other out in terms of skill sets. Someone strong in interpersonal skills may complement someone in writing or creativity.
Scaffolding also plays a substantial role in teaching practice as it is one of the first topics introduced in teacher education programs. To bridge the gap between what a learner can and can’t do on their own, scaffolding can incorporate the MKO theories depending on the tool. For example, a graphic organizer for paragraph organization can help a student arrange their thoughts when teaching how to write a paragraph. Ideally, after practice, a student can then progress to writing a paragraph on their own. For visual learners, graphic organizers are a helpful tool.
Scaffolding through social interactions is also common, through activities such as Think-Pair-Share or smaller group discussions, students can build confidence in building and sharing ideas with peers before sharing with the class. The fear of sharing a “wrong answer/idea” is intimidating at any grade level and smaller discussions can hopefully lead to enriching classroom discussions. Through these discussions, language can also be learned from peers both verbally and nonverbally building on core competencies such as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving.