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Oleo de José Tola
From: Aiva Drukovskis
T1: drukovskisa@alpha.montclair.edu
Date: 4/30/98
Time: 5:15:35 PM
Remote Name: 130.68.51.157
The zone of proximal development (ZPD) is the gray area between the things the learner can do alone and the things the learner can with help from a more knowledgeable person or peer group. this gray area emcompasses the functions in a child that have not matured yet, but are in the process of maturing and developing. By examining a child's ZPD, we have a window into the child's immediate future and his overall state of dynmic development. The larger the ZPD, the more a child will learn. The ZPD theory is not new. It is mentioned as early as 1962 by Cole, but it was Vygotsky (1978) who exapnded the theory and developed it as a practical theory of teachingand learning. It is Vygotsky's most important legacy to education. A lengthy technical article on Dialogue, Difference and the "Third Voice" in ZPD is at < http://watarts,uwaterloo.ca/-acheyne/ZPD.html> This is an excellent background piece fora summary of Vygotsky's and Bakhtin's views on Dialogue, and helps the reader understand the concept of ZPD. Children are socialized into learning and using the appropriate cognitive and communicative tools passed down from generation to generation. Capable caretakers, then are the primary source for the child's accumulated ways of thinking and doing that are relevant to their culture. They provide specific models of communication, expression and explanation which the child then applies to learning speech and language. in 1998, Tharp and Gallimore used the 4 stage model of ZPD to show how children develop sppech and language. In stage 1, children rely on others for outside regulation of task performance. In stage 2, the learner takes over the rules and responisbilities of both mediator and learner, and the tasks are carried out without assistance. Stage 3 internalizes and automatizes the task, and performance is "fossilized", according to Vygotsky. This is the "once you know it, you know it forever" stage. Stage 4 addresses de-automatization and recursion, These occur so regularly, that they need to be incorporated into the developmental process. When you can't remember, you must go back into the ZPD to refresh your memory. These 4 stages have wonderful diagram explanations at<http://www.jcu.edu.au/dept/Education/subjects/ed1441/topic2/topic2e.html> The application of the ZPD theory specifically to ESL learning is through the use of scaffolding, or assistance in performance, Scaffolding offers structural support to the learner when used selectively to aid the learner when and where needed. It allows the learner to accomplish tasks not otherwise possible; functions as a cognitive tool, and extends the range of the learner. Too little challenge leaves the learner bored, and too much leaves him frustrated. A case study by Marina Aidman >http://www.ballarat.edu.au/bssh/staff/eug/nz962pd.htm>in Early Biligual Writing, utilizing the Vygotskian ZPD framework along with Halliday's (1994) Systemic Functional Grammar indicated that every language input, as long as it targets the child's ZPD, will ultimately contribute to the child's English language proficiency. The study confirms the validity of the ZPD concept in both mapping illiteracy development and influencing it. An excellent article on ZPD and its implications for learning and teaching can be found at <http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/~gwells/2pd.discussion.txt> The latest on how Vygotsky's ZPD theory can be applied to learning can be found in the TRIVAR research project. This project combines the compatibility of instruction and constructivism influences on educational software design. This software is used to create a ZPD within a child with a set of activity templates and tools for further assistance. The problems selected for the learner are tailored to each learner's ZPD. This article is a must read, and can be found at <http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/rose/europaper,html> The cognitive and social developemtn of the learner proceeds as an unfolding of potential through the reciprocal influences of the learner and the social environment. Guided intervention and scaffolding allows a child to self regulate his learning. The ZPD concept is exciting for teaching, because we can see the child's potential and access it to enhance it and bring it to fruition. other websites for ZPD can be found at <http://av.yahoo.com/bin/query?p=zo...roximal+development&b=61&hc=0&hs=0>