2.4.1: The Zone of Proximal Development

14 This theory is presented in one of Vygotsky’s most important works: ‘Mind in Society: the development of higher psychological processes.’ Vygotsky, L. S. (1978).

15 Steven Desanghere, international trainer and expert in the circus community, introduced the ZPD theory in his book ‘Look at me’, 2016.

In the early twentieth century, psychologist Lev Vygotsky put forward the idea of the “Zone of Proximal Development” (ZPD)14, referring to the learner’s ability to successfully complete tasks with the assistance of other, more capable, people.

Unlike Piaget’s notion that children’s development must necessarily precede their learning (see chapter 1.1, Piaget), Vygotsky argued that social learning tends to precede development. In accordance with this idea, he saw the ZPD as the area where the most sensitive instruction or guidance should be given, allowing the child to develop skills they will then use on their own, developing higher competencies (see chapter 2.3.1). He imagined three areas, or three levels of development:

Level of potential development “I can’t do – yet” Zone of PROXIMAL development “I can do with help”

Level of actual development “I can do alone” 1 Level of actual development what the student can do, right now, with any help. A learning comfort zone; 2 The Zone of Proximal Development what the student can do only with appropriate assistance; 3 Level of potential development what the student can’t do, yet, even with external help.

This is a powerful theory gaining increasing recognition and popularity in the field of circus education15. It introduces the idea of the importance of spotting and helping, so important in learning circus techniques, which present a physical risk in addition to a level of difficulty.

In an acrobatic lesson, it is difficult to imagine learning a flic alone without the help of someone watching your back (at least here in Europe…). A good teacher must be able to judge when a student is entering the ‘Zone of Proximal Development’, when learning a flic or another trick is possible, or if they are still in the zone of Potential Development and risk getting hurt. Question: as teachers, are we able to enable students to push their boundaries, if required, or do we let them stay where they are, and make them feel comfortable with their level?

16 Wood, D. J., Bruner, J. S. and Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology, 17(2), 89-100. An interesting term used to define the action of assistance in the learning process is ‘scaffolding’: a structure of ‘support points’ to help a student complete a task. The term scaffolding was not actually used by Vygotsky and was later coined by Bruner16 . It’s important to underline that this help or support doesn’t have to come from the teacher, but may come from others as well. Vygotsky speaks about the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO). This refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or concept. The MKO can be another student, who has higher skills in some disciplines. Fellow teachers can be each other’s MKO

sometimes, but in different techniques. An MKO can also be an external resource, such as a book or video. It’s easy today to imagine how many technical tutorials have helped a lot of learners, and teachers!

“3 before Me” - Notice for teachers With children who often seek attention we can use this rule: before asking the teacher, try at least 3 strategies to solve the problem independently17 .

17 This method was proposed by Pete Duncan in a transnational

meeting during the LCL project.