Research indicates that using scaffolding within a zone of proximal development

How we learn is a fascinating area of study. It is valuable to know the various theories on educational psychology so that I can select the most suitable strategies in the classroom to facilitate the learning of each child.

An effective teacher is a facilitator of learning who places the child at the heart of practice and is acutely aware of the factors impacting on learning. Understanding discourses on educational psychology can contribute toeffective teaching approaches as it aids decision-making processes (Long et al., 2011). Since the 1950s, social and cultural influences on learning have become a research focus (McInerney, 2005). Lev Vygotsky, a pioneering social constructivist, suggests social interaction ‘awakens a variety of internal developmental processes that are able to operate only when the child is interacting with people in his environment’ (McInerney, 2005). Echoing this, I believe learners negotiate their understanding and development through engagement with others. In this piece, I will discuss Vygotsky’s most widely cited theory – the zone of proximal development (hereafter, ZPD; Figure 1) and its connection with scaffolding as a useful conceptual tool for me as a developing teacher.

Vygotsky’s ZPD

Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development is concerned with how people make sense of the world by actively constructing their knowledge through collaboration with others (Daniels, 2016). The influence of the external environment is paramount with language and dialogue along with mediated cultural tools essential components (Eun, 2019). McLeod (2018) summarises the ZPD as the distance between what individuals can accomplish on their own and what they can achieve with mediated support from ‘more knowledgeable others’ (MKO). Research indicates teaching should be framed within the child’s ZPD (McInerney, 2005) to constantly progress. I suggest this is applicable to the nature of the interactions and contexts within a primary school classroom.

Support is provided until the learner has internalised the skills/knowledge and can complete them unaided. This is an important factor for me to recall as I work in the classroom. Meaning is constructed between the agents involved and so it is an inherently dialogical and social feature of cognitive development. Eun (2019) reminds us human activity is distinguished by its nature to be goal oriented. Once an action is internalised through collaboration, speech and thinking, the zone progresses to another area (Daniels, 2016). Much of this corresponds to the processes in primary education for fulfilment of the curriculum. I will constantly seek to progress and advance the child’s learning. Support within the ZPD is provided through the concept of ‘scaffolding’.

Scaffolding

While Vygotsky did not specifically use the term, it has become a prominent tool in the application of the ZPD theory (Shvarts and Bakker, 2019). Scaffolding can be transmitted through collaborative dialogue using ‘cultural tools of intellectual adaptation’ (McLeod, 2018). These include psychological tools such as language and counting systems along with physical tools such as computers. Cognitive development happens as a result of these guided interactions and involve the input of a more experienced other (MKO) who bridges the existing abilities of the learner with the future abilities (Shvarts and Bakker, 2019). In the classroom, I see this development as a co-construction between the agents involved, be it the teacher and child or between children themselves in reciprocal learning (Long et al., 2011).

Language is central and techniques include modelling performance, prompts, differentiation, collaborative learning, using alternative forms of assessment etc. The teacher encourages use of a speech continuum (social – private – inner self speech) to process tasks so that the learner can act independently once the knowledge is internalised (Daniels, 2016). These support techniques are widely used in Irish classrooms. Cole (1984) suggests the assumed pre-defined end leaves little scope for the child’s creativity (cited in Shvarts and Bakker, 2019). While the teacher may have a specific outcome in mind, the process is a dynamic one and the learner remains a central agent in their own development. Effective scaffolding should allow this. I suggest the ZPD and scaffolding can be utilised successfully and creatively in subject areas such as SPHE, SESE and the Arts where creativity is encouraged, and learner-led shaping of the outcome can more readily occur than in Maths for example, though it can be utilised here too.

The ZPD aims to develop qualitative shifts in the thinking process (Long et al., 2011). Through interactions with MKOs, ‘elementary mental functions’ become ‘higher mental functions’ (McLeod, 2018). Each child operates within their own ZPD; development it is not uniform according to age categories as in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. A teacher must contextualise each individual child for the most suitable support. I can use scaffolding to develop and build the thinking skills of the child moving from simple to more complex (which also fits with Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives). McLeod (2018) emphasises scaffolding is a temporary adaptive support and aims to transfer responsibility for task completion to the learner, though contingency support can be provided as needed. I must be able to recognise when to reduce/withdraw scaffolding to maximise the development opportunity for the child.

Concluding comments

Critique of Vygotsky’s work highlights the lack of empirical research and vagueness on the ZPD in terms of motivations to learn, development stages and the processes involved (Eun, 2019). However, the theory has been validated through years of applied research by others in various contexts (Long et al., 2011). Overall, research broadly indicates the Zone of Proximal Development theory of cognitive development and the related use of scaffolding as a conceptual tool is valuable to educators. The nature of the relationship between the agents involved in the ZPD along with consideration of the social and cultural factors is critical for successful navigation through the zones (McLeod, 2018). These dialogic interactions (Eun, 2019) are a critical bridge between the social and mental worlds of the learner.

As a developing educator, I see the merits in the application of Vygotskian approaches in the primary school classroom to contribute to the cognitive development of the child. Ultimately, Vygotsky’s theory offers an integration between teaching and learning, paying attention to the external social and cultural environments unlike earlier cognitive development theorists (Daniels, 2016).  As a teacher, it will be my responsibility to ensure this relationship is nurtured to best facilitate the cognitive development of the children in my classes.

References

Daniels, H. (2016) Vygotsky and pedagogy. Oxon: Routledge.

Eun, B. (2019) ‘The zone of proximal development as an overarching concept: A framework for synthesizing Vygotsky’s theories’, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 51(1), pp.18-30.

Long, M., Wood, C., Littleton, K., Passenger, T., and Sheehy, K. (2011) The psychology of education. 2nd edn. Oxon: Routledge.

McInerney, D.M. (2005) ‘Educational psychology – theory, research, and teaching: a 25‐year retrospective’, Educational Psychology, 25(6), pp.585-599.

McLeod, S. A. (2018), ‘Lev Vygotsky’, Simply Psychology. [Online]. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html (Accessed 10 June 2020).

Shvarts, A. and Bakker, A. (2019) ‘The early history of the scaffolding metaphor: Bernstein, Luria, Vygotsky, and before’, Mind, Culture, and Activity, 26(1), pp.4-23.