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Question: What does Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development tell us about educational goals of students and what implications does that have related to the individualization of students’ education?

Quote: “The zone of proximal development defines those functions that have not yet matured but are in the process of maturation, functions that will mature tomorrow but are currently in an embryonic state” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).

Connection: Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development is a concept that resonated with me on several levels of my professional experiences.  Specifically, his theory relates to my understanding of the development of students with disabilities’ annual individualized education plan (IEP) goals.  There are several rules that guide the development of IEP goals.  One such rule is that they are based on data concerning the student’s current ability (i.e., mental processes they have already mastered, or as Vygotsky would call it, the student’s “actual developmental level”).  Additionally, the goals should be within a zone of proximal development, or the level at which they can complete a task with assistance.  It is beneficial to the individual responsible for creating the goals to have an understanding of a student’s zone of proximal development as it both allows students to be challenged as well as allows us to have high expectations of the student.  Another example of allowing students with disabilities to work within their zone of proximal development is when they have a one-on-one aid in the classroom because they can help the student complete tasks that they cannot yet do independently.

Outside Connection: Vygotsky’s description of a student’s zone of proximal development and the implications this may have on the learning process related to a statement made by Skinner in one of our readings on behaviorism.  Skinner states, “When student’s move through well-constructed programs at their own pace, the so-called problem of motivation is automatically solved” (1984, p. 951).  The idea of “their own pace” recognizes that students develop and progress through curricular content at different rates, based on their ability level.  When I read this statement initially, it sounded as though Skinner was promoting the individualization of education for students that allow them to progress at their own rate of curiosity and ability.  Similarly, Vygotsky’s idea concerning a zone of proximal development has implications for the importance of individualizing a student’s process of learning.  Working within students’ differing ability levels requires an educator to know each student’s zone of proximal development and to then adjust instruction so that it will benefit every student (versus working from a standardized curriculum that expects each student to be able to complete a certain set of skills).  This approach would be much more time consuming for teachers, however, it could significantly benefit the student as they would be able to work within their own ability level at all times, thereby giving them the opportunity to spend more time on areas they need more time with, or conversely, move on to more advanced topics, based on their own level of development.