My Experience with Zone of Proximal Development

Gaining a deeper understanding of ZPD

According to Vygotsky's Social Development Theory which Dr Yeap shared, I understand that
Social interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development; and every function in a child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child(intrapsychological).” (Vygotsky, 1978).

From Vygotsky's theory, I also learn that interactions with peers is an effective way of developing skills and strategies and how as teacher, I could actually use cooperative learning exercises such as peer learning, where less competent children develop with the help of more skillful peers,which I actually did so to help children to develop in their word recognition and reading skills, but in math learning as I used to think that by doing so the weaker children will not learn as they relied on their peers to solve the sum and come up with the answer.

From Dr Yeap's lesson, I gain a strong interest to know more to how children learn and how as educator I can actually apply this knowledge to help my children to learn better that I read up the text again.

From my reading this time, I noticed that I could better understand the text better this time and I wonder why I have missed out such a useful and important information from my first previous reading.

Guess what!

ZPD!

Using Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, this knowledge is kind of out of reach for me to learn on my own but it becomes accessible to me with the support of my leacturer as he explained in more simplified terms. Through Dr. Yeap's explanation on what children truly need to do well in Primary 1, he has created a symbolic space and culture first, on the social level when I sit in class, listen to the lesson, note take, discuss with coursemates; and later, on the individual level when I sit down going through my note, writing my blog, reflecting on my understanding and experience, reading the text, think, analyse and make meaning; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside ownself (intrapsychological).