Zone of Proximal Development – Childproofing for Adolescence

I Hate Math

Dr. B: What did you like and dislike most about school?

Parent: I liked my friends and I hated math.

Dr. B: Still friends with those folks?

Parent: Absolutely.

Dr. B: Still hate math?

Parent: Absolutely.

Dr. B: Why do you hate math?

Parent: I’m just not good at it.

Dr. B: Like math anxiety?

Parent: No. I just suck at math.

Dr. B: Wow! Were you born that way?

Parent: Yeah.

Dr. B: Brown eyes. Left-handed. And suck at math.

Parent: How did you know I was left-handed? But yeah, born that way.

Dr. B: Do your kids hate math too?

Parent: Yeah.

Dr. B: So, it runs in the family?

Parent: What are you getting at?

Dr. B: Math ability isn’t something you just have or don’t have.

Parent: Well, for some reason, I don’t have.

Dr. B: Did your math teachers expect everyone to keep up?

Parent: Yep.

Dr. B: So half the class was bored and half the class was lost?

Parent: All the time.

Dr. B: What?

Parent: I always hit a wall by October and could never recover.

Dr. B: Hit a brick wall instead of building one.

Parent: Huh?

Dr. B: Math is like building a brick wall. The first brick needs to be securely in place before the next one is laid on top of it.

Parent: Like crawling before walking before running?

Dr. B: Couldn’t have said it any better.

Parent: So … why do I still suck at math?

Dr. B: Too many loose bricks in your wall, maybe?

Parent: Huh?

Dr. B: If you carefully master one concept before you move to the next, math won’t be difficult.

Parent: I’m not starting over now. I’ve got a calculator for everything I need.

Dr. B: So you want to stay stuck and suck?

Parent: Tear down the wall and start over?

Dr. B: Well, I was hoping you’d want to keep your kids from sucking too.

Parent: Ooh. Here comes the parental guilt trip. So now it’s my fault if I don’t do something about it?

Dr. B: You’re the one who used the word guilt.

Parent: What do you suggest? I know you have a suggestion.

Dr. B: Thanks for asking. Go to KhanAcademy.org and

Parent: And what?

Dr. B: And stop the “I suck at math Syndrome” that’s plaguing your family.

Think Goldilocks

Dr. B: Remember the story of Goldilocks?

Parent: You mean the overly entitled kid who was breaking into houses instead of going to school?

Dr. B: I’ll bet you put the Grimm back in Fairy Tales.

Parent: Of course I remember Goldilocks. What’s your point?

Dr. B: Goldilocks has much to teach us about parenting.

Parent: As in know where your kid is and who they are with?

Dr. B: No, that’s Little Red Riding Hood.

Parent: I get those two mixed up.

Dr. B: Remember how Goldilocks avoided too hot and too cold?

Parent: Yeah – she always had to have everything – “just right”.

Dr. B: You just won’t let up on this kid will you? She’s fictional.

Parent: I used to date someone like that.

Dr. B: Oh. I see. That would take more than a minute, wouldn’t it?

Parent: Yeah. So, why am I supposed to remember Goldilocks?

Dr. B: She reminds us that we need to help our kids stay in the zone.

Parent: The Zone of Entitlement?

Dr. B: No. Where things are not too easy, nor too hard.

Parent: Just …

Dr. B: Just challenging.

Parent: Like riding a bike instead of a tricycle or a unicycle.

Dr. B: Not exactly the metaphor I usually reach for, but it works.

Parent: It is just common sense. Stay in a zone that’s challenging, but not overwhelming.

Dr. B: Yeah.

Parent: Sort of like a two-wheeler with training wheels?

Dr. B: Exactly. Training wheels until all they need is you running along beside them.

Parent: I get it. You want me to keep using this Goldilocks Zone approach with my kids, where things are challenging, but can be taken on with support, which can eventually be withdrawn as they master the challenge.

Dr. B: Whose “Got a Minute” lecture is this?

Parent: You were running overtime. I figured you needed a little support to finish on time.

Dr. B: Thanks. I think.

The Goldilocks Principle

The Goldilocks Principle [AM1]

Working within a Zone of Proximal Development promotes growth. ZPD is defined by the zone (tasks or expectations) just beyond what a child can do independently, yet short of what would be overwhelming, even with help. With the help of instruction and/or support (scaffolding) a child can take on new challenges. That scaffolding is gradually withdrawn as the skill is mastered, and the zone is adjusted upwards.

ZPD Is Where We Learn Best

Remember the story of Goldilocks? Of course. Do you remember Vygotsky and the Zone of Proximal Development? Maybe not? Let’s finally put Goldilocks to some good use. Of all people, “Why Goldilocks?” you ask? I’m finding value in that totally self-absorbed, overly entitled, seriously unsupervised little brat? Hear me out. We may get some actual work out of Goldie yet. By linking ZPD and Goldilocks, perhaps the former will be easier to access and the latter will be easier to tolerate.

As you recall, after breaking and entering, Goldilocks began her comfort seeking. “Not too hard, not too soft, just right.” … “Not too hot, not too cold, just right.” Actually that theme is an important one to remember. In fact, let’s call it a principle. The Goldilocks’ Principle: Not too ____, Not too _____, Just right? That’s much easier than calling it the Zone of Proximal Development, which is an essential part of any toolkit for parents, teachers, and coaches.

In its simplest form, ZPD means that children learn best when the work is not too hard, nor too easy, but just right. Vygotsky actually made it a little more sophisticated than a mere paraphrasing of Goldilocks. He said that the Zone of Proximal Development is defined at the lower limit by what children are capable of doing independently, with no help. The upper limit is bounded by what children are not yet capable of doing, even with the help of an adult. Bored vs. Overwhelmed for those of you who want to keep it as simple as it should be. Within the ZPD, children are capable of more challenging work if they have the assistance of an adult. In other words, they are challenged, but they have the necessary support to take it on. Operating within the ZPD means that as they begin to master the work, the amount of necessary support is reduced and the ZPD is adjusted upwards.

Goldilocks Principle (GP) = Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Goldilocks Principle (GP)	Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)	What My Mother Calls “Common Sense”
“Too Hot”	Cannot do, even with help	Overwhelmed
“Just Right”	Zone of Proximal Development	Challenged (w/ support)
“Too Cold”	Can do independently	Bored

The support that allows the child to take on the more challenging work is often called scaffolding, as in the structure used to support workmen while constructing a building. In this case, the scaffolding (in the form of demonstrations, corrective feedback, support or encouragement) is withdrawn as the child attains mastery of the skill and no longer needs the support. Children need high expectations, but they also need the structure and support to make those expectations attainable.

Another good way to remember the workings of ZPD and scaffolding is to visualize a child learning to rock climb. With the aid of a harness, belaying rope and coach, the child can take on the challenge of climbing, trust that he will be safe when he falls, learn from his mistakes, and constantly improve. Without the belaying, most kids stay close to the ground, while the others put the orthopedist’s children through college.

(in terms of BIG IDEAS in Child Development, they don’t get any bigger than Vygotsky’s ZPD)