Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development

Lev Vygotsky

One of the major themes of Lev Vygotsky's theoretical framework is that children are at different levels academically. Children are not mentally the same age, and the subsequent course of their learning should therefore be different. This difference is called the zone of proximal development, or the distance between the actual developmental level and the level of potential development under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (1978, pp79-91).

Based on this theory is the concept of scaffolding, or a change in the social support over the course of a teaching session that alters the child's mastery level of performance on a particular task. (Hartman, 2002). This scaffolding needs to be incorporated right into the class management system devised by the teacher at the beginning of school along with the students input.

One essential element of helping students learn is determining what level each student is at and altering the curriculum accordingly. The objective of the teacher when incorporating scaffolding into the coursework is to assess each students' educational abilities at the beginning of the school year, develop a curriculum that is based on this assessment and then make it available to the students for the rest of the year to follow. For example, if there are students who are slower in math comprehension, this may mean giving these students special math guides or activities that focus on main points in assigned texts. In reading, since there are different levels of students, it is important to have varying levels of books available in the classroom. Similarly, technology should be used for creating and completing projects that assess and motivate. Frequently, students with difficulty focusing on a lesson delivered to the class in the traditional manner by the teacher at the front of the room might better understand the same material through an online program.