Zone of Proximal Development

An Appropriate Degree of Challenge

Teachers need to think of what they can do to provide an appropriate degree of challenge for their students. If the challenge is either too great or too small, students will not learn as much or as well. Since students’ developmental levels (ability) change constantly, often in spurts, and since a developmental level of ability in one subject area is likely to be different than in others, teachers must understand the characteristics of the students they teach and the active nature of student learning.

The more we know about our students’ emerging abilities, the better we can modify what we teach. Can we meet every single student’s ZPD in every lesson? No, of course not. But there are ways to optimize learning for groups of students with similar levels of ability.

Freedom and Choice

The more freedom students are given to make their own choices, the more students are empowered to be engaged and self-directed in their learning experiences. In a classroom, freedom of choice is balanced with a student’s ability to be responsible. The more choice a student can handle, the more self-directed that student can become. As you consider what choices students could make, ask yourself: “What could the students do to learn X?” 

Students become self-directed gradually, by learning how to work independently within various degrees of structure. Learning opportunities should become increasingly more complex and build on individual student strengths.

Watch the video below to learn more.