An important concept in Vygotsky's theory
is that "the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain time span
which he calls the 'zone of proximal development' (Kearsley 1994e). He defines the zone of proximal development as having four
learning stages. These stages "range between the lower limit of what the student
knows and the upper limits of what the student has the potential of accomplishing"
(Gillani and Relan 1997, 231). The stages can be further broken down as follows (Tharp
& Gallimore 1988, 35):
- Stage 1 -
assistance provided by more capable others (coaches, experts, teachers)
- Stage 2 -
assistance by self
- Stage 3 -
internalization automatization (fossilization)
- Stage 4 -
de-automatization: recursiveness through prior stages
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© 1999 by Peter J. Patsula |
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