Expanding Notions of the Zone of Proximal Development Carlos Tejeda California State University, Los

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Expanding Notions of the Zone of Proximal
DevelopmentCarlos TejedaCalifornia State
University, Los Angeles
Based on
Cole, M., Griffin, P. (1984). Current Activity
for the future. The Zo-ped. In B.
Rogoff James Wertsch (Eds.). Childrens
learning in the zone of proximal
development New Directions for child devlopment,
23. San Francisco Josey-Bass.

Guttierrez, K. (in prep.). Why third spaces are
zo-peds. Center for the Study of
Urban Literacies, UCLA.
.
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Notions of the Zone of Proximal Development

• Limitations of American scholars notion of the
  zo-ped
• Russian concepts related to an expanded notion of
  the zo-ped

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The Zone of Proximal Development
Vygotsky defined the Zo-ped as the difference
between a childs actual developmental level as
determined by independent problem solving and
the level of potential development as determined
through problem solving under adult guidance or
in collaboration with more capable peers (p. 46)
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The Zone of Proximal Development
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
Vygotsky defined the Zo-ped as the difference
between a childs actual developmental level as
determined by independent problem solving and
the level of potential development as determined
through problem solving under adult guidance or
in collaboration with more capable peers (p. 46)
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentAmerican
Analogies
Next Step Versions of The Zo-Ped
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
Next Step
Next Step
Next Step
Next Step
NEXT STEP VERSION OF THE ZO-PED A version of the
Zo-ped that hold that childrens development
should be enhanced if their environment provides
just the right amount of discrepancy between
their prior achievements and present demands.
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentAmerican
Analogies
Next Step
Previous Step
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Next Step
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
Next Step
Zo-ped vs. Next Step
Previous Step
Next Step
Previous Step
ZO-PEDS VS. NEXT STEP VERSIONS Zo-peds are
expected to embody several levels of a task at
once, where adults create and support several
levels of participation. In Zo-peds development
is more appropriately viewed as changes in
responsibility for certain steps than as their
presence or absence.
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentAmerican
Analogies
Zo-Peds as Scaffolding The basic notion of
scaffolding is that adult tutorial interventions
should be inversely related to the childs level
of task competencee.g., the more difficulty a
child has in achieving a goal, the more directive
the interventions should be.
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentAmerican
Analogies
Directing Goals
Goals
ZO-PEDS VS. Scaffolding The notion of
scaffolding becomes problematic when one focuses
not on the execution of a specific task but on
the changes in the child. Central to the notion
of scaffolding must be the understanding that the
discovery of new goals is central to the process
of development, and to capture the important way
in which adult understanding of goals structures
the sequence of activities the conception of
scaffolding must include architects and foremen
to the building process it references.
Defining Goals
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentAn Expanded
Conception
Next Steps
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
Models of Future/ Models of Past
Shifts in Participation
Previous Steps
ZO-Peds and Temporality Zo-peds include models
of a future, models of a past, and activities
that resolve contradictions between them. Next
steps can be varied there is not always
necessarily a need for a specific sequencing of
steps.
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentAn Expanded
Conception
Materials
Next Step
Previous Step
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
Zo-ped as a functional system
Adults
Children
Model of Future
Model of Past
Constituents of Zo-Peds as a Functional System
The constituents of a Zo-ped should be
understood as playing flexible roles and as
aspects of a functional system. The material,
the task, the adults, the children, the models of
the future, the models of the past, and the
temporal arrangements (steps) all function
together as needs and opportunities arise to
perform the function of development.
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentExpanding Notions
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
LEADING ACTIVITY
Leading Activity in the ZO-PED In studying
development of the child psyche, we must start by
analyzing the development of the childs
activity, as this activity is built up in the
concrete conditions of its life. Some types of
activities are the leading ones at a given stage
and are of greatest significance for the
individuals subsequent development and others
are less important. We can say that each stage
of psychic development is characterized by a
definite leading type of activity.
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentExpanded
Constituting Third Spaces
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
Third Space
Joint-Mediated Activity
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentExpanding Notions
Constituting Third Spaces
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
Joint-Mediated Activity
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The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentExpanding Notions
Constituting Third Spaces
Actual developmental level as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers
Forms of Assistance
Social Relationships
Actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving.
Social Organization of Learning
Language Practices
Forms of Participation
Third Space
Forms of Participation
Joint-Mediated Activity