TPS BLOG ACTIVITY: ZPD and Scaffolding

 I have always been fascinated by how people learn. As a student in occupational therapy school, I wanted to learn how the body worked and how dysfunctions caused people to adapt to other ways of learning and doing activities. The mind and the body are designed to adapt to changing and challenging situations especially when obstacles to learning interfere with our normal ability to do simple tasks.  This is the beauty of how we were designed that separates us from other animals. 

Today, we will discuss the ability to learn from the context of a normal functioning person without the obstructions of a disability, but in a sense, children are in the same phase of development. 

I have a four-year-old son that loves to read, and he loves to mix things together. He is very independent and wants to do everything on his own. My son has drunk goat mix for the major of his life, and he knows that mommy or daddy has to mix the milk before he can drink it. So, for the last year or so he is intrigued with learning how to mix his own milk. every time I begin to mix his goat milk, he rushes in the bathroom to get his step stool so that he can measure and mix the mix in the glass. He knows from watching us how much milk or how many scoops to use.  then he knows from his previous experience that the mix must be mixed in order for it to completely turn into milk that he can drink. He takes the scooper from the can, places the powder in the container, and then blends the milk with our small hand-held blender. Sometimes he will take a smaller scoop than needed from the can, and I have to cue him to use more in order to provide for a good consistency. The real answer is in the taste test if the milk doesn't taste the way it is used to. Then, he will ask me if I could add more powder to the cup so that it takes like milk and not water. 

My wife and I have cultivated this environment of independence for him as we encourage him to do things for himself.  This was mainly based on my investigation and learning from the model of Montessori. The children in Montessori learn from during their own tasks at the level that is most conducive for them. Clothes, food, utensils, plates, and activities are structured so the child takes complete ownership of their daily tasks with minimal or little assistance from their teachers and/or parents. This particular model is the driving force for his development of learning at an early age. 

Like the Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding, the Montessori models allow children to become more independent and learn through demonstration models. Activities are modeled in the context of activities of daily living, for example, brushing their teeth and combing their hair.  Preparing or setting the table and deciding on what clothes and garments they pick out and wear. 

Although my son still requires assistance to do more complex tasks, he has the desire to learn and wants to be independent.  My wife and I give him verbal cues but try not to complete tasks for him.  Thus, he takes ownership of his development, and that has transferred and translated to his preschool classroom environment in the same way.