Genesis of the zone of proximal development

pp. 247-264

in: Wolff-Michael Roth, Alfredo Jornet, Understanding educational psychology, Berlin, Springer, 2017

Abstract

This chapter presents a sociogenetic analysis of the zone of the proximal development, which is not a box into which a child steps but is a form of relation that needs to be established and that leads to developmental opportunities for all participants. We investigate this phenomenon as it emerges in the context of a computer-supported task in physics. The instructional situation is characterized by a {teaching | learning} dialectic, a term that translates Vygotsky's (Russian) expression obučenie. In this dialectical unit, there is not an asymmetrical relation in which learners learn and adults or more competent others teach. Instead, there is a symmetrical relation as part of which all participants have opportunities to learn and develop