Answer: The Zone of Proximal Development is a social learning theory developed by Lev Vygotsky.
The Zone of Proximal Development proposes that students learn best when an adult, or more capable peer, teaches them something that they are not capable of learning independently. Furthermore, it suggests that the teacher must have an understanding of what the student is capable of and provide adequate support to scaffold the learning of the students.
Scaffolding can include think-aloud modeling and reciprocal teaching. As the students’ skills improve, the level of scaffolding is decreased until the skill can be performed independently.
