The zone of proximal development It is the situation in the skills of a learner in which certain activities can be carried out with the help of another person. For example, if a child knows how to add even though he needs a little help from an adult, that would be the zone of proximal development. With practice and support, you will eventually get to go it alone.
It is the area in which an interactive system is put into operation, a support structure created by other people and by cultural tools appropriate to a situation that allows the individual to go beyond their current competencies..
It is a concept that was formulated by Lev Semenovich Vygotsky, a Russian of Jewish origin and considered one of the most important and influential psychologists in history. The zone of proximal development is closely related to education and the developmental development of children. Many education professionals rely on this theory to design teaching strategies.
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Actually, proximal development is an intermediate stage that is housed between two concepts: the real development zone and the potential.
In the first place, to clarify terms, we talk about the real development that is the area in which the tasks are carried out autonomously and without requiring any kind of help or support. An example would be an 8-year-old boy who is able to perform addition and subtraction operations on his own.
Regarding the level of potential development, it is the area that the child can reach after having received the help of a teacher or classmate.
These two levels of development, the real and the potential, determine the zone of proximal development, which is the area in which you can perform certain exercises or tasks with certain supports..
It should be noted that these areas are dynamic. As progress occurs and the minor develops, the areas of real, proximate and potential development change..
While the new knowledge is consolidated thanks to the tutoring and the support, these will become the real development zone since it will be able to execute them autonomously.
In the case of a child who learns to multiply it would be like this:
Vygotsky, in relation to the zone of proximal development and the learning processes that arise, elaborated the following statements:
-Exercises that currently require assistance to be carried out will in the future be performed without that support..
-The fundamental condition for autonomous performance to occur is the same aid received, although it may be paradoxical.
-The aid should not meet a series of specific traits or requirements, but depends on good learning.
We can establish three basic and very important characteristics. They are as follows:
It is important that there is a degree of difficulty, so that the child is able to take on new challenges and situations that pose a challenge. Nor can it be a difficult task to perform because, if not, you will get frustrated when you do not achieve it or give up because you think it is unattainable..
The adult or the mentor should be helping him to get closer to the goal of completing the task.
The initial purpose of the Zone of Proximate Development is for the child to be able to do it on their own.
Jerome Seymour Brumer, an American psychologist, continued with the statement of Vygotsky's theory and added a new element that is scaffolding..
This process occurs as a result of the interaction between an expert subject or one with more experience in a certain activity or knowledge and another novice, or less expert. The objective of this interaction is for the novice to gradually appropriate the knowledge of his fellow expert.
At the beginning of the resolution of the task, the novice will depend almost exclusively on the expert. As you can perform the task autonomously, your partner withdraws his support, also known as scaffolding..
This concept of scaffolding refers to the activity that is developed in a collaborative way and at the beginning the expert has (almost) total control of the situation and, little by little, the novice acquires this knowledge. Depending on the tasks and subjects, you will progress in a certain way.
The scaffolding has two characteristics that are:
Various authors, including Vallejo, García and Pérez (1999), point out that Vygotski proposed this concept as an alternative to the large number of theories that speak of intelligence and the tests used to quantify it..
What Vygotsky wanted to convey is that these tests and theories were totally focused on the skills and abilities acquired by the student at that time, but they did not contemplate the projection in the near future, or what he was able to achieve with the aids and tools appropriate, as well as the support of someone educated or a colleague who had some more experience.
For this author, this would be the starting point of learning and that is how it was in the statement of his theory.
For other authors such as Ehuletche and Santángelo, the concept of the zone of proximal development is based on the sociocultural perspective and emphasizes the importance of the processes of social interaction and help, in addition to the support within the framework of that interaction, so that it occurs progress in individual learning.
They contemplated, like Bruner, the concept of scaffolding in which the transfer and transfer, in a progressive way, of control and responsibility takes place..
If you are an educational professional, or you have a close relationship with children, below we are going to see a series of tips developed to work on this theory and ensure that children become more and more autonomous in the performance of their tasks and labors.
Insert the specific activity that is carried out at the specific moment, as broadly as possible in other objectives or broader frameworks.
For example, if we are developing a mathematical operation, it is a good idea to frame that particular operation in relation to others. When we have learned to multiply, to check that the multiplication has been done correctly we can check it through an addition. This is how we increase and relate knowledge.
Within a group, it is important to enable, to the maximum extent possible, the participation of all students in the tasks and activities that are carried out. Even if your level of competence is not up to the task, some adaptations can be made. It is important to involve the whole group so that they take an attitude of participation and acquire greater autonomy.
In addition, when they have finished the task or activity, their self-esteem will be reinforced by verifying that they have been able to achieve it, as well as the satisfaction of the group in general..
It is important to establish a work climate that is affective and in which the trust, security and acceptance of all participants are present. In addition to the relationships established within the group are healthy and trustworthy.
In this way, children, in addition to being satisfied with their peers, will increase their level of satisfaction with themselves..
Children are in continuous learning and in constant change. For this reason, it is important to consider the existence of adjustments and modifications in the development of activities at a global level and specifically at home, one of them that are carried out on a daily basis..
For this, it is important to be aware of the progress and achievements that are produced in order to make the most of the zone of proximal development and not get stuck in the Real Development Zone without reaching new achievements.
It is important that students are encouraged to use and deepen the knowledge acquired autonomously. That is, if we learn something new, we are going to let the children explore and experience it, this is the best way to consolidate knowledge..
If, for example, we have learned in class that we can obtain the rest of the colors from the mixture of primary colors, we are going to give them that they are the ones who mix the paints and experiment what color is obtained from each mixture..
As minors acquire new knowledge, it is important that we establish links between this new content in relation to the content that has already been established and internalized..
It is important that the language is used as clearly and explicitly as possible, in this way we will avoid and control possible misunderstandings or misunderstandings that may occur..
When we have finished a task, it is recommended that we take a few minutes to talk about what we have learned. In this way, through language, we will recontextualize and reconceptualize the experience we have developed.
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