Vygotsky's ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development is a concept that refers to the difference between what a person can do on their own (their actual developmental level) and what they can achieve with assistance (their potential developmental level).
According to Vygotsky, the ZPD is the range of tasks that a learner can accomplish with the guidance and support of a more knowledgeable person. This concept suggests that learners are capable of achieving higher levels of learning with the help of a teacher or tutor.
The ZPD is important in education because it suggests that teaching should be done at a level just above the learner's current level of understanding. This allows the learner to stretch their abilities and develop skills that they may not have been able to on their own.
Vygotsky believed that if learners were given tasks that were too easy or too difficult, they would not progress as quickly. However, if the task was within the ZPD, learners could achieve much faster progress. The idea behind the ZPD is that learning is most effective when it is challenging, but not too difficult.
Vygotsky's ZPD
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