Lev Vygotsky developed the idea of the Zone of Proximal Development. He believed that what a child could not understand on their own could be fully understood with the help of a More Knowledgeable Other such as a teacher, parent, or a more advanced peer. The process to get to this understanding is what he called the Zone of Proximal Development which is where the actual learning takes place, hence the reason for calling it the "Learning Zone". Here is a video of the Zone of Proximal Development in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RehxEXeLNg
Vygotsky believed that learning was influenced by social development, in other words: "We do not learn because we develop; We develop because we learn." In order to learn we have to be presented with tasks that are just out of our reach abilities because without being challenged we can never grow and expand our minds. These tasks are not too difficult to complete, they are just challenging enough to be fully understood with the assistance of a more knowledgeable source.
Lev Vygotsky was born in November of 1896. He grew up in Western Russia and earned a law degree at Moscow University. Vygotsky had many careers which included being a teacher, a researcher, a psychologist, a writer, and a learning theorist. I believe that he was a man who wanted to constantly be challenged. I know he cared a great deal about children and being sure they could receive the best education that they could. Vygotsky understood that all students have a different way of learning because everyone has a different culture. He believed that your culture and social surroundings had much to do with the way one learns.
In a period of only ten years, Vygotsky published six books on psychology topics. Some of his more known ones include Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes, Thought and Language, and Thinking and Speech. He developed the Social Development Theory (Sociocultural Theory) which suggested that human development results from a dynamic interaction between individuals and society. In other words, "Society doesn't just impact people; people also impact their society." The Zone of Proximal Development is another theory of Vygotsky. This is the area where parents and teachers can foster learning by providing educational opportunities to allow a child's mind to grow and come to a deeper and more complete understanding of a concept or problem. Here is a video to help understand the process of ZPD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX8lRh1u5iE&feature=related .
Vygotsky died when he was only 38 years old in June 1934. His theories were criticized when he was alive. It wasn't until after his death that his theories and discoveries got the proper recognition it deserved.
