The Zone of Proximal Development is where the magic happens in learning! In this video, I summarize and illustrate Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) in just 5 minutes. This is a core theory in instructional design and educational psychology. While Vygotsky conceptualized this theory in relation to children and how they learn, it’s fully applicable to adults too – just think apprenticeship, for instance!
The ZPD exists between what a learner can do without help and what they can’t do, or, what they already know, and what’s impossible for them to learn.
Vygotsky posited that learning is fundamentally a social activity, grounded in the culture of the learner and the “more knowledgeable other.” The just-right instructional target for learning is right above what the learner can currently do on their own. Learning, in Vygotsky’s conceptualization, is inherently a social activity, grounded in the culture of the learner and the more-knowledgable-other.
The “more knowledgeable other” can be anyone – a teacher, a parent, or a friend. It’s anyone more knowledgeable than the learner in a given subject.
While Vygotsky described the ZPD in relation to children’s learning, it’s fully applicable to adults as well!