Developmental Psychology

We all have our own zones of proximal development for different tasks that we learn throughout our life. Even as adults, there are things we can do independently and other things we need assistance with until we grasp the complete concept. Chapter 6 introduces us to Vygotskys theory of cognitive development that focuses on sociocultural influences within our environment for learning. For this ADP assignment, I would like you to identify your own zone of proximal development for a task and consider how scaffolding has contributed to learning the new task.

Answer the following questions:

Identify a task that you are currently learning or have learned in the past (i.e., learning to downhill ski). Think about this task as one you perform alone that you can perform much better with assistance. In other words, describe the zone of proximal development (ZPD) related to this task. Link information with research evidence on ZPD discussed in course material. Consider the range of abilities with specific examples that you experienced related to this task:
lower ZPD limit task reached by working alone
upper ZPD limit – too difficult to master alone, but completed with assistance
beyond ZPD unable to complete even with assistance
Explain how your ZPD continues to change and evolve for the specific task. What happens when you master a component of the task that you once needed assistance with? Consider the complexity of the learning process.
The concept of scaffolding works together with the zone of proximal development. Explain scaffolding as it relates to your selected task. Who helped you learn the task? How was the assistance provided? Describe the types of scaffolding you experienced. Consider the results of too much assistance or too little assistance; and how has this scaffolding impacted your experience? Be sure to link information with research evidence on scaffolding discussed in course material.
How do you use private speech related to the task you described? Describe the evolution of instruction to private speech to inner speech. Under what circumstances was private speech used and what circumstances was inner speech used? Explain the role private speech played regarding your cognitive functioning and understanding with connection to course material.
Identify and provide examples of the teaching strategies (pages 178-179) that the person who assisted you in the task used. Explain why these strategies worked in your situation.

Friendly Reminders:

When answering the questions, use complete sentences. Please number your responses based on the questions above.
Your paper should be approximately 2-3 pages, double spaced. Please use a title page (this does not account within the 2-3 page suggestion).
Use complete sentences. Always use spelling and grammar check.
Citing original authors is required when you are using someone elses idea (Example: Santrock et al., 2020). Paraphrase in your own words when using other authors ideas. Do not use quotes.