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Sunday, August 3, 2008
(9)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Who Put the Music in my Heart?
Every person with whom I've come in contact throughout my entire life has left a musical note in my heart.
My mom - loves me with her whole heart
My dad - always in my corner
my gran - love beyond measure
my pa - solid and secure
my husband - rock
my daughter - comfort
my son-in-law - joy
Teachers, friends, students - I am who I am because of the people I've encountered.
My music plays on.
My mom - loves me with her whole heart
My dad - always in my corner
my gran - love beyond measure
my pa - solid and secure
my husband - rock
my daughter - comfort
my son-in-law - joy
Teachers, friends, students - I am who I am because of the people I've encountered.
My music plays on.
Monday, August 6, 2007
My Immortal Performed and Expounded Upon by Someone who knows too little
I was going to be flippant, but somehow that doesn't seem right now. This song reminds me of when Stefanie left home to go to college. I loved my little family. To me it was perfect. We had the exact mix and I was completely unready for her to leave home. I felt a little betrayed. Not by her but by time. How could the time have passed so quickly. What did this mean for me now? I had spent my entire early adult life being a mom and learning how to do that. I felt like I had wiped away all of her tears faced her fears and she still had all of me. Yet, I had to let her go.
One day just before she left home to go to college, I was in my car driving from Grapevine to Arlington. I was listening to the radio. I can't remember the song that was playing, but I heard these words, "She was mine before she was yours. You don't own her. You GET to be in her life. Let her go." I started crying and praying and driving all at the same time. At that moment, I understood a little about what I had to do. I had to put my motherhood on the altar like Isaac was.
It was tough and I can't say it has ever been easy. I love my people and I want everyone to be in the same place at the same time. That is one reason that I can't wait to get to heaven. To be with Jesus and the rest of my people.
One day just before she left home to go to college, I was in my car driving from Grapevine to Arlington. I was listening to the radio. I can't remember the song that was playing, but I heard these words, "She was mine before she was yours. You don't own her. You GET to be in her life. Let her go." I started crying and praying and driving all at the same time. At that moment, I understood a little about what I had to do. I had to put my motherhood on the altar like Isaac was.
It was tough and I can't say it has ever been easy. I love my people and I want everyone to be in the same place at the same time. That is one reason that I can't wait to get to heaven. To be with Jesus and the rest of my people.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Literature Review Using Zone of Proximal Development to Support Students
Running head: USING ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT STUDENTS
Using Zone of Proximal Development to Support Students
Jolyn Redden
University of Texas at Arlington
Texas Bluebonnet Writing Project
Abstract
Using ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development to support students as they learn is an integral teaching strategy. Much research has been completed involving different age ranges of students and in different subject matter. Students benefit as the breadth of the zone is discovered and utilized.
Introduction
He had the most beautiful, piercing, catlike eyes. He struggled valiantly with words. His stilted vocabulary shrank to infinitesimal proportions, and I believed him to have few words with which to express himself, especially when I asked him a question during class. He was quiet and respectful with a stillness about him which made me wonder what he was thinking. Charles was in my sophomore English class. With great effort he struggled to pass and I really didn’t know why. He did not appear lazy, but he didn’t do well on assignments. The only thing about him which caught my attention were his eyes.
In the spring my students created Power Point presentations for their research projects about assassinations in preparation for reading The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Each time our class went to the library to work on their papers, Charles appeared to be working, but when he turned in portions of his assignment, he had little or nothing written. As the due date drew nearer and he still had nothing competed, I stopped him one day and I asked, “Charles will you meet me for lunch in my classroom today? You have some needs for your research, and I want to talk to you about it. Bring your lunch. See you later.” He smiled and left for his next class. At lunch that day, I gathered my things for lunch and in walked Charles. He looked a little uncomfortable, so I situated my lunch on a student desk. He sat his things down on another desk next to mine. We ate our lunch together –I shared my chips because I said I didn’t want them, but I really wanted to make friends with him. Finally, I asked him what did he think was the real problem with his research? He shyly whispered, “I don’t know.”
I replied, “I don’t know is not really an answer. Will you try to put into words a feeling about your lack of work?” He just shrugged and his beautiful eyes mirrored his internal pain.
A feeling of panic coursed through my body. I thought to myself, “How do I get his attention? How do I show him?” I prayed a small prayer of deep supplication – Lord please give me wisdom. I don’t know anything about the needs of this child, yet he’s waiting on an answer. I thought to myself. What would I do if I wanted to know something about a topic about which I have no prior knowledge? I could send him to the library then I could eat what was left of my lunch in peace. I could suggest he get on the internet at home and then I could feel satisfied he was responsible for his own work. Wait, I don’t know if he has a computer. I could ask for the advice of another teacher and get back to Charles in a couple of days when I had a better answer. All of these things were options, but Charles was waiting on an answer now – not in a couple of days. I looked behind Charles at my bookshelf of garage sale purchased reference books which I hoped one day would come in handy. Today seemed like the day. I went to my shelf and selected The 20th Century: an Illustrated History of Our Lives and Times As I hefted the huge book from the shelf, I had immediate doubts about its ability to help, but I had to start somewhere. I asked him, “Charles, do you know anything about your topic?”
He replied with more force than I had ever heard from him, “I don’t even know where to look!” I was astonished. I thought I had taught and shown and modeled methods of research. Somehow it had not connected. How could I have worked so hard with such poor results? My professors in college said that kids do not fail; teachers fail students because they do not meet the students’ needs. With this belief in my mind, I sat beside him and we looked in the index of the book for his topic. Suddenly, he jerked his head around, looked me straight in the eye, and grinned the biggest grin I have ever seen. His eyes gleamed! He said is that all there is to it?
I said, “Is that all there is to what? To research? Well, that’s not all, but it’s the beginning.” We had simply looked in the index. At that moment, a memory from my sophomore year of high school hit me like a ton of bricks. I remembered being in his shoes and my English teacher saying, “just take notes from the source. Don’t write everything down. Then write your research paper.” I remembered how helpless and lost I felt. If she would have sat with me for a few minutes, when it was obvious I did not understand, I think I would have comprehended more about what I was supposed to do. However, twenty-five years after my experience, Charles’ synapses fired; his dendrites connected, and he knew what he needed to do. He matured before my eyes!
After that day, his grades increased. He passed sophomore English. He never failed another high school class. Recently, he graduated from college. I see him from time-to-time. His eyes are still catlike and piercing, but now instead of being a timid non-speaker, he is a quiet, articulate young man with a future before him. It was nothing I did. I just happened to see the miracle unfold in front of me. I am glad I paid attention to his needs.
Zone of Proximal Development: A Student’s and Teacher’s Dilemma
ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development is a term developed by Lev Vigotsky (1978) to exemplify the range of challenge in which a learner progresses because the task is neither too neither hard nor too easy. When a teacher thinks about this term as she assesses and implements instruction for a student, the student is more likely to be successful in the assigned task. I believe if I had had a better understanding of the situation I just described, I would have more readily met my student’s educational needs and he would have been more successful from the beginning.
At the time a child enters school, his teachers and parents set goals for him to be an independent person when he becomes an adult. By the time the child graduates from high school, he should be able to read for information, to read for understanding, and to read for development of critical thinking beyond the text. A child does not come to school already exceeding every educational expectation. He needs to be supported and instructed. Tasks which do not challenge a student and tasks which do challenge a student lead to frustration. A basic level of learning should be discovered when a teacher meets her student. According to Brenda Power (1999) a professor at the University of Main in Toronto, “learning to look for compelling details or anecdotes” assists the teacher in her endeavor to discover the instructional levels of her student. Based on average levels of children in the same age group, a teacher places a child at a particular instructional level. Then through careful observation the teacher, using her professional judgment, establishes a baseline. Within this educational level, a child’s frustration level should not be too easy or “go beyond his or her ‘language ceiling’ or limit to language capacity” (Bodrova & Leong, 1998; The Institute for Academic Excellence, 1998). Once a student learns the basics of the task, he must move to the next level. If it is within a research project, the student should learn how to reading for information in order to synthesize and produce a new thought. Within this level, a teacher utilizing The Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD, seeks to find the appropriate instructional level. The appropriate instructional level should fall between the student’s independent level and the student’s frustrational level based on decoding comprehension (Ediger, 1999). For instance, studied subjects are chosen which develop a love of learning and sustain a student in his quest to move beyond basic skills according to his specific needs. A teacher wants a student to grow and learn through development skills to connect in a meaningful ways to his experiences.
In the same way, once a child masters this level of skill building, he must be moved to the next level. Each time the child achieves a new level, his level of ease and frustration change as well. At times during a course of instruction, a teacher should move the child’s level of challenge down in order to be on his instructional level. Often “peers, teachers, and home” (Institute, 1998) have different expectations of a student and his level of ease or frustration changes. If a teacher finds a particular interest of a student and suggests a topic in his interest range, a student may choose a work through the research, but, for instance, if there is a problem at home, a student’s motivation may decrease in such a manner that his level of study may regress for a short time. Because a teacher has more knowledge, if the student is encouraged to more bravely participate in challenging activities when the teacher supports her student and when the teacher finds the proper balance, a child feels successful. Success breeds a positive self-concept in a child which leads to further gains academically and emotionally (Englert, 1992, Goos, 2002)
All of these scenarios lead to the development of an independent learner based on his experiences as a developing student. Zone’s change as a student progresses, and teachers should continually monitor a child’s ZPD to assess his needs. Although scaffolding is temporary, the strategies of a student as an "apprentice” and following through to become an independent learner, come about because of his mastery of “self-talk” (Englert, 1992). As an independent student, his academic success increases after the scaffolding has been in place for a period of time. The student must learn the language of his studies, no matter what it is he is studying. It does not matter if it is Physics or Literature (Englert, 1992).
Additionally, students and teachers must approach their tasks through some common sense. Tony Harland, a researcher at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, spent three years studying and determining the need for a common sense approach to teaching and learning. He determined the need for three areas of focus for teachers and students
1. Developing diagnostic teaching strategies
2. The emphasis on authentic activities
3. Re-thinking the roles of teacher and learner (Harland, 2003).
His ideas mesh with those of researchers Cynthia Peterson and David Caverly in their studies of developing academic literacy through on-line discussions. In their studies they found that college students taking on-line classes need much of the same types of support as students in lower grades. They found the need for teachers to develop some core tactics as the students engaged in on-line discussions and learning and to think again about how teachers and learners interact. Through their study they concluded that working through these types of strategies assists students to move through the Zone of Proximal Development as they progressed and learned (Peterson, 2005). These basic ideas, although not dramatic, assist learners, no matter what their ages, to develop more effectively in their own Zone to achieve mastery. These approaches are down-to-earth and require a level of common sense often left out of the learning process.
Using the Zone of Proximal Development as a model, teachers assist students in developing invaluable life-long learning skills. Margareta Kjellin of the Malardaln University College (2005) indicates the need for structured teacher student interaction and the necessity for asking the correct questions. The quality of the instruction improves as this back and forth dialogue occurs between teacher and student. This conversation structure is not simply small talk; it is talk with a purpose. Such skills as self talk and subtle reminders of the required tasks, enhance and move a student toward his ZPD goals (Kjellin, 2005, Meijer, 2001). These actions take place when a level of rapport develops between teacher and learner. In the situation with my student, his learning needs were not being met. Yet, when I sat with him and asked the appropriate questions, after developing a congenial atmosphere, his Zone of Proximal Development emerged and I was able to determine the breadth of his knowledge (Meijer, 2001). Using scaffolding as a temporary support, works within the framework of ZPD. Teacher assistance at crucial junctures enables students to maintain a level of challenge without moving to the frustrational level. Often the teacher assistance occurs in the area of groups of students where one student is more self-sufficient or it can occur, as did my situation, in a teacher to student circumstance (Englert, 1992).
I believe students from pre-k to graduate students work within their individual Zone of Proximal Development. Students at the pre-k level begin to read for the first time and graduate students begin to work on literature review for the first time. Between those times, much learning and growing occur. At each level an astute teacher should be able to quantify, to a degree, her student’s abilities and push the student to his growth level. Developing a relationship with the student alleviates anxiety and supports the student as he strives for the knowledge he desires. Common sense should burst forth as educational levels increase. Educators can no longer rest on their laurels and hope for the best.
References
Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (1998). Scaffolding Emergent Writing in the Zone of Proximal Development. Literacy Teaching and Learning , 3 (2), 1-18.
Ediger, M. (1999, 10 22). Zone of Proximal Development in Reading. Washington, D.C., United States: EDRS.
Englert, C. S. (1992). Writing Instruction From a Sociocultural Perspective: The Holistic, dialogic, and Social Enterprise of Writing. Journal of Learning Disabilities , 25 (3), 153-172.
Goos, M. G. (2002). Socially Mediated Metacognition: Creating Collaborative Zones of Proximal Development in Small Group Problem Solving. Educational Studies in Mathematics , 49, 193-223.
Harland, T. (2003). Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development and Problem-based learning: linking a theoretical concept with practice through action research. Teaching in Higher Education , 8 (2), 263-272.
Kjellin, M. S. (2005). "Areas of Instruction" - A Tool for Assessing the Quality of Instructional Situations (Vol. 49). Eskilstuna, Sweden: Scandinavian Journal Of Educational Research.
Meijer, J. E. (2001). The Predictive and Discriminant Validity of the Zone of Proximal Development. British Journal of Educational Psychology , 71, 93-113.
Peterson, C. C. (2005). Techtalk: Building Academic Literacy through Online Discussion Forums. Journal of Developmental Education , 29 (2), 38-39.
Power, B., & Chandler, K. (1999). In the Zone: Writing Literacy Assessments. The New England Reading Association Journal , 35 (1), 3-6.
The Institute for Academic Excellence. (1998). ZPD Guidelines: Helping Students Achieve Optimum Reading Growth. Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Advantage Learning Systems, Inc.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Using Zone of Proximal Development to Support Students
Jolyn Redden
University of Texas at Arlington
Texas Bluebonnet Writing Project
Abstract
Using ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development to support students as they learn is an integral teaching strategy. Much research has been completed involving different age ranges of students and in different subject matter. Students benefit as the breadth of the zone is discovered and utilized.
Introduction
He had the most beautiful, piercing, catlike eyes. He struggled valiantly with words. His stilted vocabulary shrank to infinitesimal proportions, and I believed him to have few words with which to express himself, especially when I asked him a question during class. He was quiet and respectful with a stillness about him which made me wonder what he was thinking. Charles was in my sophomore English class. With great effort he struggled to pass and I really didn’t know why. He did not appear lazy, but he didn’t do well on assignments. The only thing about him which caught my attention were his eyes.
In the spring my students created Power Point presentations for their research projects about assassinations in preparation for reading The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Each time our class went to the library to work on their papers, Charles appeared to be working, but when he turned in portions of his assignment, he had little or nothing written. As the due date drew nearer and he still had nothing competed, I stopped him one day and I asked, “Charles will you meet me for lunch in my classroom today? You have some needs for your research, and I want to talk to you about it. Bring your lunch. See you later.” He smiled and left for his next class. At lunch that day, I gathered my things for lunch and in walked Charles. He looked a little uncomfortable, so I situated my lunch on a student desk. He sat his things down on another desk next to mine. We ate our lunch together –I shared my chips because I said I didn’t want them, but I really wanted to make friends with him. Finally, I asked him what did he think was the real problem with his research? He shyly whispered, “I don’t know.”
I replied, “I don’t know is not really an answer. Will you try to put into words a feeling about your lack of work?” He just shrugged and his beautiful eyes mirrored his internal pain.
A feeling of panic coursed through my body. I thought to myself, “How do I get his attention? How do I show him?” I prayed a small prayer of deep supplication – Lord please give me wisdom. I don’t know anything about the needs of this child, yet he’s waiting on an answer. I thought to myself. What would I do if I wanted to know something about a topic about which I have no prior knowledge? I could send him to the library then I could eat what was left of my lunch in peace. I could suggest he get on the internet at home and then I could feel satisfied he was responsible for his own work. Wait, I don’t know if he has a computer. I could ask for the advice of another teacher and get back to Charles in a couple of days when I had a better answer. All of these things were options, but Charles was waiting on an answer now – not in a couple of days. I looked behind Charles at my bookshelf of garage sale purchased reference books which I hoped one day would come in handy. Today seemed like the day. I went to my shelf and selected The 20th Century: an Illustrated History of Our Lives and Times As I hefted the huge book from the shelf, I had immediate doubts about its ability to help, but I had to start somewhere. I asked him, “Charles, do you know anything about your topic?”
He replied with more force than I had ever heard from him, “I don’t even know where to look!” I was astonished. I thought I had taught and shown and modeled methods of research. Somehow it had not connected. How could I have worked so hard with such poor results? My professors in college said that kids do not fail; teachers fail students because they do not meet the students’ needs. With this belief in my mind, I sat beside him and we looked in the index of the book for his topic. Suddenly, he jerked his head around, looked me straight in the eye, and grinned the biggest grin I have ever seen. His eyes gleamed! He said is that all there is to it?
I said, “Is that all there is to what? To research? Well, that’s not all, but it’s the beginning.” We had simply looked in the index. At that moment, a memory from my sophomore year of high school hit me like a ton of bricks. I remembered being in his shoes and my English teacher saying, “just take notes from the source. Don’t write everything down. Then write your research paper.” I remembered how helpless and lost I felt. If she would have sat with me for a few minutes, when it was obvious I did not understand, I think I would have comprehended more about what I was supposed to do. However, twenty-five years after my experience, Charles’ synapses fired; his dendrites connected, and he knew what he needed to do. He matured before my eyes!
After that day, his grades increased. He passed sophomore English. He never failed another high school class. Recently, he graduated from college. I see him from time-to-time. His eyes are still catlike and piercing, but now instead of being a timid non-speaker, he is a quiet, articulate young man with a future before him. It was nothing I did. I just happened to see the miracle unfold in front of me. I am glad I paid attention to his needs.
Zone of Proximal Development: A Student’s and Teacher’s Dilemma
ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development is a term developed by Lev Vigotsky (1978) to exemplify the range of challenge in which a learner progresses because the task is neither too neither hard nor too easy. When a teacher thinks about this term as she assesses and implements instruction for a student, the student is more likely to be successful in the assigned task. I believe if I had had a better understanding of the situation I just described, I would have more readily met my student’s educational needs and he would have been more successful from the beginning.
At the time a child enters school, his teachers and parents set goals for him to be an independent person when he becomes an adult. By the time the child graduates from high school, he should be able to read for information, to read for understanding, and to read for development of critical thinking beyond the text. A child does not come to school already exceeding every educational expectation. He needs to be supported and instructed. Tasks which do not challenge a student and tasks which do challenge a student lead to frustration. A basic level of learning should be discovered when a teacher meets her student. According to Brenda Power (1999) a professor at the University of Main in Toronto, “learning to look for compelling details or anecdotes” assists the teacher in her endeavor to discover the instructional levels of her student. Based on average levels of children in the same age group, a teacher places a child at a particular instructional level. Then through careful observation the teacher, using her professional judgment, establishes a baseline. Within this educational level, a child’s frustration level should not be too easy or “go beyond his or her ‘language ceiling’ or limit to language capacity” (Bodrova & Leong, 1998; The Institute for Academic Excellence, 1998). Once a student learns the basics of the task, he must move to the next level. If it is within a research project, the student should learn how to reading for information in order to synthesize and produce a new thought. Within this level, a teacher utilizing The Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD, seeks to find the appropriate instructional level. The appropriate instructional level should fall between the student’s independent level and the student’s frustrational level based on decoding comprehension (Ediger, 1999). For instance, studied subjects are chosen which develop a love of learning and sustain a student in his quest to move beyond basic skills according to his specific needs. A teacher wants a student to grow and learn through development skills to connect in a meaningful ways to his experiences.
In the same way, once a child masters this level of skill building, he must be moved to the next level. Each time the child achieves a new level, his level of ease and frustration change as well. At times during a course of instruction, a teacher should move the child’s level of challenge down in order to be on his instructional level. Often “peers, teachers, and home” (Institute, 1998) have different expectations of a student and his level of ease or frustration changes. If a teacher finds a particular interest of a student and suggests a topic in his interest range, a student may choose a work through the research, but, for instance, if there is a problem at home, a student’s motivation may decrease in such a manner that his level of study may regress for a short time. Because a teacher has more knowledge, if the student is encouraged to more bravely participate in challenging activities when the teacher supports her student and when the teacher finds the proper balance, a child feels successful. Success breeds a positive self-concept in a child which leads to further gains academically and emotionally (Englert, 1992, Goos, 2002)
All of these scenarios lead to the development of an independent learner based on his experiences as a developing student. Zone’s change as a student progresses, and teachers should continually monitor a child’s ZPD to assess his needs. Although scaffolding is temporary, the strategies of a student as an "apprentice” and following through to become an independent learner, come about because of his mastery of “self-talk” (Englert, 1992). As an independent student, his academic success increases after the scaffolding has been in place for a period of time. The student must learn the language of his studies, no matter what it is he is studying. It does not matter if it is Physics or Literature (Englert, 1992).
Additionally, students and teachers must approach their tasks through some common sense. Tony Harland, a researcher at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, spent three years studying and determining the need for a common sense approach to teaching and learning. He determined the need for three areas of focus for teachers and students
1. Developing diagnostic teaching strategies
2. The emphasis on authentic activities
3. Re-thinking the roles of teacher and learner (Harland, 2003).
His ideas mesh with those of researchers Cynthia Peterson and David Caverly in their studies of developing academic literacy through on-line discussions. In their studies they found that college students taking on-line classes need much of the same types of support as students in lower grades. They found the need for teachers to develop some core tactics as the students engaged in on-line discussions and learning and to think again about how teachers and learners interact. Through their study they concluded that working through these types of strategies assists students to move through the Zone of Proximal Development as they progressed and learned (Peterson, 2005). These basic ideas, although not dramatic, assist learners, no matter what their ages, to develop more effectively in their own Zone to achieve mastery. These approaches are down-to-earth and require a level of common sense often left out of the learning process.
Using the Zone of Proximal Development as a model, teachers assist students in developing invaluable life-long learning skills. Margareta Kjellin of the Malardaln University College (2005) indicates the need for structured teacher student interaction and the necessity for asking the correct questions. The quality of the instruction improves as this back and forth dialogue occurs between teacher and student. This conversation structure is not simply small talk; it is talk with a purpose. Such skills as self talk and subtle reminders of the required tasks, enhance and move a student toward his ZPD goals (Kjellin, 2005, Meijer, 2001). These actions take place when a level of rapport develops between teacher and learner. In the situation with my student, his learning needs were not being met. Yet, when I sat with him and asked the appropriate questions, after developing a congenial atmosphere, his Zone of Proximal Development emerged and I was able to determine the breadth of his knowledge (Meijer, 2001). Using scaffolding as a temporary support, works within the framework of ZPD. Teacher assistance at crucial junctures enables students to maintain a level of challenge without moving to the frustrational level. Often the teacher assistance occurs in the area of groups of students where one student is more self-sufficient or it can occur, as did my situation, in a teacher to student circumstance (Englert, 1992).
I believe students from pre-k to graduate students work within their individual Zone of Proximal Development. Students at the pre-k level begin to read for the first time and graduate students begin to work on literature review for the first time. Between those times, much learning and growing occur. At each level an astute teacher should be able to quantify, to a degree, her student’s abilities and push the student to his growth level. Developing a relationship with the student alleviates anxiety and supports the student as he strives for the knowledge he desires. Common sense should burst forth as educational levels increase. Educators can no longer rest on their laurels and hope for the best.
References
Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (1998). Scaffolding Emergent Writing in the Zone of Proximal Development. Literacy Teaching and Learning , 3 (2), 1-18.
Ediger, M. (1999, 10 22). Zone of Proximal Development in Reading. Washington, D.C., United States: EDRS.
Englert, C. S. (1992). Writing Instruction From a Sociocultural Perspective: The Holistic, dialogic, and Social Enterprise of Writing. Journal of Learning Disabilities , 25 (3), 153-172.
Goos, M. G. (2002). Socially Mediated Metacognition: Creating Collaborative Zones of Proximal Development in Small Group Problem Solving. Educational Studies in Mathematics , 49, 193-223.
Harland, T. (2003). Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development and Problem-based learning: linking a theoretical concept with practice through action research. Teaching in Higher Education , 8 (2), 263-272.
Kjellin, M. S. (2005). "Areas of Instruction" - A Tool for Assessing the Quality of Instructional Situations (Vol. 49). Eskilstuna, Sweden: Scandinavian Journal Of Educational Research.
Meijer, J. E. (2001). The Predictive and Discriminant Validity of the Zone of Proximal Development. British Journal of Educational Psychology , 71, 93-113.
Peterson, C. C. (2005). Techtalk: Building Academic Literacy through Online Discussion Forums. Journal of Developmental Education , 29 (2), 38-39.
Power, B., & Chandler, K. (1999). In the Zone: Writing Literacy Assessments. The New England Reading Association Journal , 35 (1), 3-6.
The Institute for Academic Excellence. (1998). ZPD Guidelines: Helping Students Achieve Optimum Reading Growth. Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Advantage Learning Systems, Inc.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Lit Review Article #11
I. Title: Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes
II. Author: L.S. Vygotsky
III. Author's Purpose for Writing
Translated into English from Russian, this book discusses his theories on developmental psychology especially important to this writing is his theory of Zone of Proximal Development
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
Mind cannot develop in isolation; students must have support and maintain a range of challenge in which a learner can progress because the task is neither too hard nor too easy.
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s: How do people learn and discern meaning from their surroundings?
II. Author: L.S. Vygotsky
III. Author's Purpose for Writing
Translated into English from Russian, this book discusses his theories on developmental psychology especially important to this writing is his theory of Zone of Proximal Development
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
Mind cannot develop in isolation; students must have support and maintain a range of challenge in which a learner can progress because the task is neither too hard nor too easy.
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s: How do people learn and discern meaning from their surroundings?
Lit Review Article #10
I. Title: “Areas of Instruction” - A Tool for Assess the Quality of Instructional Situations
II. Author: Sandstrom Kjellin, Margareta
III. Author's Purpose for Writing: Describe a model for analyzing instructional situations including one teacher and one student as regards the quality of the interplay between the teacher and the student and to give an example of application of the model.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?: If the teacher merely ask for information preknown to the teacher and the teacher evaluates the student’s answer according to the teacher’s preknowledge, if the teacher asks for information preknown to the teacher, the teacher then scaffolds the student’s learning by giving clues to the correct answer and then evaluates the answer according to the teacher’s preknowledge or the teacher asks for information not preknown to her and the teacher is genuinely interested in the student’s answer.
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s: What are optimal conditions for cognitive development for students?
VI. Author's Methodology: Observation
A. Who is being studied?: 14 students and their teachers
B. Over what length of time?: weekly for a school term
C. What data is being collected: A conceptual foundation is first accounted for, then the model is introduced, followed by an example of the model in use.
D. How is it being analyzed: Comparison
VII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications: This model catches only brief instances of instruction. Yet, it can be used to improve student influence on instructional situations.
II. Author: Sandstrom Kjellin, Margareta
III. Author's Purpose for Writing: Describe a model for analyzing instructional situations including one teacher and one student as regards the quality of the interplay between the teacher and the student and to give an example of application of the model.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?: If the teacher merely ask for information preknown to the teacher and the teacher evaluates the student’s answer according to the teacher’s preknowledge, if the teacher asks for information preknown to the teacher, the teacher then scaffolds the student’s learning by giving clues to the correct answer and then evaluates the answer according to the teacher’s preknowledge or the teacher asks for information not preknown to her and the teacher is genuinely interested in the student’s answer.
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s: What are optimal conditions for cognitive development for students?
VI. Author's Methodology: Observation
A. Who is being studied?: 14 students and their teachers
B. Over what length of time?: weekly for a school term
C. What data is being collected: A conceptual foundation is first accounted for, then the model is introduced, followed by an example of the model in use.
D. How is it being analyzed: Comparison
VII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications: This model catches only brief instances of instruction. Yet, it can be used to improve student influence on instructional situations.
Lit Review Article #9
I. Title: The predictive and discriminate validity of the zone of proximal development
II. Author: Meijer, Joost
III. Author's Purpose for Writing: Dynamic measurement procedures are supposed to uncover the zone of proximal development and to increase predictive validity in comparison to conventional, static measurement procedures.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s: Why are there discrepancies between static and dynamic measurements.
VI. Author's Methodology: Two types of mathematics tests were used in a longitudinal experiment.
A. Who is being studied?: student test takers 14-17 years old.
B. Over what length of time?: two school terms
C. What data is being collected?: how students felt with and without help on tests
D. How is it being analyzed: results of tests
VII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications: Lack of self-confidence appears to be an important constituent of test anxiety. Apart from test anxiety and mathematical ability it is necessary to assume a factor which may be construed as mathematics learning potential.
Lit Review Article #8
I. Title: Techtalk: Building Academic Literacy through Online Discussion Forums
II. Author: Peterson, Cynthia and Caverly, David C.
III. Author's Purpose for Writing: Discuss the necessary skills for building academic literacy through online discussion forums.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?: The need for social presence; the need for cognitive presence; the need for a teaching presence.
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s: What are the minimum skills a student needs to be able to read an online course, course site, download material, and post assignments. How do students move through their ZPD to take better advantage of the course offerings
VI. Author's Methodology: Observation and discussion of the framework
A. Who is being studied?: online course students
B. Over what length of time?: college school term
C. What data is being collected: number of successful online course takers
D. How is it being analyzed: data analysis of social, cognitive, and teaching
VII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications: the student of today often maintains social contacts through technology; students construct meaning through sustained communication; Student and instructor energy must be directed to conversations and learning rather than procedural confusion.
Lit Review Article #7
I. Title Socially Mediated Metacognition: Creating Collaborative Zones of Proximal Development in Small Group Problem Solving
II. Author Goos, Merrilyn, Galbraith, Peter, and Renshaw, Peter
III. Author's Purpose for Writing The need for further research on mathematical thinking and learning to be conducted in authentic classroom settings.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
The role of metacognition in problem solving essential
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s
What is the role of student-student interaction in improvement in skills
VI. Author's Methodology: Observation including personal observation plus audio and visual observation, interviews, questionnaires,
A. Who is being studied?: senior students in a secondary classrooms
B. Over what length of time? Three years
C. What data is being collected?: evidence of sociocultural theories to understand learning
D. How is it being analyzed?: selected portions of audio and video tapes were transcribed and parsed into Reading, Understanding, Analysis, Exploration, Planning, Implementation , and Verification episodes, following the methods pioneered by Schoenfeld
VII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications
Challenge is a defining feature of the zone of proximal development, since teaching and learning in the ZPD entails moving students past their present capabilities towards new forms of reasoning and action.
Lit Review Article #6
I. Title ZPD Guidelines: Helping Student s Achieve Optimum Reading Growth
II. Author Report from the Institute for Academic Excellence
III. Author's Purpose for Writing Informing parents and teachers regarding the Zone of Proximal Development in regard to using Accelerated Reader.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
Students should read in a range which is challenging but does not cause frustration
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s How does using challenging texts help students and what effects in the home and in the classroom cause discrepancies between ZPD and grade-equivalent scores.
VI. Author's Methodology an analysisi of student book reading behavior from school Accelerated Reader data.
A. Who is being studied? 80,000students
B. Over what length of time? One year
C. What data is being collected determination of independent reading levels
D. How is it being analyzed actual behaviors observed in the classroom with real books
E. Any other interesting or pertinent data
students mush read large quantities of literature in order to gain vocabulary and knowledge from reading
VII. How the author collected information,
observation and Accelerated Reader data
VIII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications
Students need knowledgeable teachers and librarians to help them achieve the goal of becoming skilled lifelong readers who love to read
Lit Review Article #5
I. Title: Writing Instruction From a Sociocultural Perspective: The Holistic, Dialogic, and Social Enterprise of Writing
II. Author Englert, Carol Sue
III. Author's Purpose for Writing: Proving that writing is a holistic cognitive activity; cognitive processes are learned in dialogic interactions with others; cognitive development occurs in students’ zones of proximal development; and knowledge construction is a social and cultural phenomenon.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s
What is the writing contexts in which students with learning disabilities were instructed and what type of instructional programs develop strategic writers?
VI. Author's Methodology
A. Who is being studied? General ed students, students with learning disabilities and students in the fourth and fifth grades
B. Over what length of time? Three years
C. What data is being collected? Observation
D. How is it being analyzed? Comparison of regular ed students with special ed students and their writing skills increasing with similar scaffolding and apprenticeship of the students
E. Any other interesting or pertinent data use scaffolding to temporarily support students’ writing. Students apprentices of writing following strategies to develop self-talk by discussing and question in writing groups and publishing for authentic voice and ownership of writing
VII. How the author collected information?
VIII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications 1) social constructivist framework was used as a model to provide an important basis for developing and examining writing programs for students with learning dis. 2) emphasis on writing as a holistic process, with instruction that emphasizes the dialogic and social nature of writing., provides an important social framework 3) teachers must involve them in the holistic and authentic communicative enterprise of writing, apprentice them in strategies through interactive classroom dialogues about writing 4) social constructivism can provide an important theoretical and instructional framework for promoting self-regulation and empowerment of writers with learning disabilities..
Lit Review Article #4
I. Title Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Problem-Based Learning: Linking a Theoretical Concept with Practice Through Action Research
II. Author: Harland, Tony
III. Author's Purpose for Writing:
Theory of development and how it informed the practice of a group of university teachers in the process of developing a problem –based learning.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
1. Social interaction leads to cognitive development through the ZPD.
2. Communicate expectations clearly
3. emphasis on diagnostic teaching and learning
4. creating and maintaining instructional environments centered on authentic activities
5. supporting students as peer-teachers to help develop student autonomy in the context of collaborative learning.
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s: 1. Developing diagnostic teaching strategies in the zone of current development
2. the emphasis on authentic activities in the zpd
3. re-thinking the roles of teacher and learner
VI. Author's Methodology Observation
A. Who is being studied? Secondary students
B. Over what length of time? Three years
C. What data is being collected?
D. How is it being analyzed
E. Any other interesting or pertinent data: 1. common sense approach, 2: p. 267 One Key strategy was to start the day with a session of writing in which students could explore their personal learning. They should be “students of learning.”267
VII. How the author collected information,
VIII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications Students should be helped students move through their ZPD with structure and support until they become autonomous.
“Learning is the outcome of collaborative problem-solving” 270
Teachers learned in the zpd too “Outcome of research and scientific enquiry through a process of solving problems” 271
Learning leads development
Lit Review Article #3
I. Title Scaffolding Emergent Writing in the Zone of Proximal Development
II. Author Bodrova, Elena, Leong, Deborah
III. Author's Purpose for Writing The theoretical notions underlying the method: the zone of proximal development, scaffolding, materialization, and private speech.
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s Would the use of Scaffolded Writing support the next developmental level within the ZPD?
VI. Author's Methodology A case study of 34 at-risk kindergarten children that illustrates the effectiveness of this method in supporting children’s emergent writing.
A. Who is being studied? 34 at-risk half-day kindergarten children
B. Over what length of time? School year
C. What data is being collected Evidence of using a combination of materialization and private speech to support emergent writing. Scaffolding is temporary. “Scaffolded Writing I s a Vygotskian –based technique developed to support and investigate emergent writing” (Lit. and Learn. 2). Scaffolded writing is a method inspired by the work of Elknonin and Galperin but applied to an area that neither of them originally studied – self-generated messages of young writers.” (Lit and Learn 2). “Scaffolded writing is a teaching technique and a method to examine children’s literacy development in the ZPD” (Lit. and Learn. 2). (
D. How is it being analyzed Gentry’sWriting scales and writing samples over the school year
E. Any other interesting or pertinent data
Interest in writing and reading increased at a greater rate than in previous years. Small groups of students necessary
VII. How the author collected information,
Writing produced by the children
VIII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications “Instruction is only useful when it moves ahead of development” “Instruction is a source of development” ((Lit. and Learn. 3). “No all tangible objects have equal value in terms of materialization, however,. Only the ones that affect the essential components of the new emerging competence are useful” ((Lit. and Learn. 5).
How might I better support students through ZPD? Teach the strategies necessary to support the student at their ZPD level and then give them the private speech they need to become self-directed and self regulated.
What have I learned from this article so that I may better understand how I will better support students through ZPD? It is not only social interaction which must occur; it is interaction with knowledgeable instructors too. Although this was a study of at-risk kindergartners, I believe the methods are suitable for high school students too.
Lit Review Article #2
I. Title: In the Zone: Writing Literacy Assessments
II. Author: Brenda Power, Kelly Chandler
III. Author's Purpose for Writing:
Call for more narrative assessment of student writing. What is the Zone of Proximal Development?
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
1. The need for more narrative assessments of student progress in reading.
2. Detailed descriptions of reading growth
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s
1. How do teachers develop their writing skills?
2. How does the quality of narrative writing translate into content?
3. What are some strategies for writing better narrative?
VI. Author's Methodology
They wrote the article through the ecotones methodology
A. Who is being studied? Reading teachers
B. Over what length of time? 1999
C. What data is being collected Anecdotal information
D. How is it being analyzed Through
E. Any other interesting or pertinent data
VII. How the author collected information,
Working one-on-one with students and then parent inclusion
VIII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications
“In the zone of each child’s learning though just a couple strong examples and anecdotes. By finding that zone of each child’s learning, parents can see most vividly what their child knows and what they need to learn next.”
Lit Review Article #1
I. Title: Zone of Proximal Development in Reading
II. Author: Marlow Ediger
III. Author's Purpose for Writing
What can be done to fulfill requirements of the zone of proximal development in reading?
IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
Emphasis on the differences between recreational reading level vs. an ideal goal
V. Author's Inquiry Question/s
What is the role of the Zone of Proximal Development as a concept for reading teachers to emphasize?
How does the Zone of Proximal Development relate to pupil self selection of reading materials?
VI. Author's Methodology : Providing guidelines for teachers about ZPD
A. Who is being studied? : Students experiencing difficulty with reading
B. Over what length of time?: School year
C. What data is being collected – evidence of ZPD strategies helping students become more fluent readers
VII. How might I better support students through ZPD? Scaffolding? What themes emerge? What have I learned from this article that will inform me so that I can better understand my question so I may discover my study? Observation of students in learning environments; Interacting with students through discussion and guidance: Offering diverse opportunities for learning.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
New Edited Charles Again for Critical Incident
He had the most beautiful, piercing, catlike eyes. He struggled valiantly with words. His stilted vocabulary shrank to infinitesimal proportions, and I believed him to have few words with which to express himself, especially when I asked him a question during class. He was quiet and respectful with a stillness about him which made me wonder what he was thinking. He was in my sophomore English class. With great effort he struggle to pass and I really didn’t know why. He did not appear lazy, but he didn’t do well on assignments. The only thing about him which caught my attention were his eyes.
In the spring my students created Power Point presentations for their research projects about assassinations in preparation for reading The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Each time our class went to the library to work on their papers, Charles appeared to be working, but when he turned in portions of his assignment, he had little or nothing written. As the due date drew nearer and he still had nothing competed, I stopped him one day and I asked, “Charles will you meet me for lunch in my classroom today? You have some needs for your research, and I want to talk to you about it. Bring your lunch. See you later.” He smiled and left for his next class. At lunch that day, I gathered my things for lunch and in walked Charles. He looked a little uncomfortable, so I set my things down on a student desk. He sat his things down on another desk next to mine. We ate our lunch together –I shared my chips because I said I didn’t want them, but I really wanted to make friends with him. Finally, I asked him what did he think was the real problem with his research? He shyly whispered, “I don’t know.”
I replied, “I don’t know is not really an answer. Will you try to put into words a feeling about your lack of work?” He just shrugged and his beautiful eyes mirrored his internal pain.
A feeling of panic coursed through my body. I thought to myself, “How do I get his attention? How do I show him?” I prayed a small prayer of deep supplication – Lord please give me wisdom. I don’t know anything about the needs of this child, yet he’s waiting on an answer. (If anyone ever wants to argue about prayer being removed from school, I could carry my own in that debate. As long as there are teachers and students, prayer prevails.) I thought to myself. What would I do if I wanted to know something about a topic about which I have no prior knowledge? I could send him to the library then I could eat what was left of my lunch in peace. I could suggest he get on the internet at home and then I could feel as he was responsible for his own work. Wait, I don’t know if he has a computer. I could ask for the advice of another teacher and get back to Charles in a couple of days when I had a better answer. All of these things were options, but Charles was waiting on an answer now – not in a couple of days. I looked behind Charles at my bookshelf of garage sale purchased books which I hoped one day would come in handy. Today seemed like the day. I went to my shelf and got this big book of 20th Century Occurrences. As I lifted the hug book from the shelf, I had immediate doubts about its ability to help, but I had to start somewhere. I asked him, “Charles, do you know anything about your topic?”
He replied with more force than I had ever heard from him, “I don’t even know where to look!” I was astonished. I thought I had taught and shown and modeled methods of research. Somehow it didn’t connect. How could I have worked so hard with such poor results? My professors in college said that kids don’t fail; teachers fail students because they don’t meet the students’ needs. So, I sat beside him and we looked in the index for his topic. I don’t even remember what his topic was. Suddenly, he jerked his head around, looked me straight in the eye, and grinned the biggest grin I have ever seen. His eyes gleamed!. He said is that all there is to it?
I said, “Is that all there is to what? We simply looked in the index. At that moment, a memory hit me like a ton of bricks.
I remembered being in his shoes and my sophomore English teacher saying, “just take notes from the source. Don’t write everything down. Then write your research paper.” I remembered how helpless and lost I felt. If she would have sat with me for a few minutes, when it was obvious I did not understand, I think I would have comprehended more about what I was supposed to do. However, twenty-five years after my experience, Charles’ synapses fired; his dendrites connected, and he knew what he needed to do. He matured before my eyes!
After that day, his grades increased. He passed sophomore English. He never failed another high school class. Recently, he graduated from college. I see him from time-to-time. His eyes are still catlike and piercing, but now instead of being a timid non-speaker, he is a quiet, articulate young man with a future before him. It was nothing I did. I just happened to see the miracle unfold in front of me. I am glad I paid attention to his needs.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Thank you
I thank you all for the affirming comments you left for me today. I NEEDED to hear them. In my life at school, we receive few pats on the back. The people I work with appear to believe that just by loving without saying I love you is OK. It is just expected that we do well. In my personal life, I receive I love yous from my "people". Hearing nice things with suggestions and acknowledgment from professional people I respect means more to me than you know. Thank you all.
My Name
They tell me I am named after a sweaty shoe. From what I understand, I had no name and the lady who handled the birth certificates was adamant I had to have a name. So, my mom, dad, and grandmother were discussing names. Gran pulled her shoe off and the label inside said "Jolene". All three of them looked at each other and said, "How about Jolyn?: one word?" They all agreed; the birth certificate lady was satisfied, and I went home with a moniker which was unusual. I hope I haven't been too much of a pain to my family. But, beeing named after a sweaty shoe is a little disconcerting.
What is your gift and how do you use it?
What is your gift and how do you use it?
This is a question I’ve pondered for a long, long, time. I’ve been through classes; I’ve prayed; I’ve mused. I’ve come to the conclusion that my gifts are constancy, dependability, and loyalty. I am the same whether you see me at church or at a Ranger’s game. I’m loyal to a fault; you can depend on it. I don’t understand disloyalty. I don’t understand saying something and not meaning it. I take these types of things seriously. The good thing is my husband and I are on the same page. We are loyal to each other and to others. However, when people we encounter don’t live up to our loyalty, it hurts.
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