The Zone of Proximal Development
Our teachers are stretching the minds of students under their careful guidance.
Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which describes the range of tasks that a learner can perform with the help of a more knowledgeable person, such as a teacher, peer, or mentor.
Science Specialist Deb Landon believes in this practice and employs it frequently in the science lab.
"I push them to do difficult things outside of their comfort zone," Ms. Landon said. "You give them the tools, the steps, and the help they need to build their confidence enough to make an attempt."
The 5th-graders have been studying sea turtles, and even went on a field trip recently to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center in Jekyll Island.
The students learned about the different species of turtles, their habitat, and their diet.
They made models of their own sea turtles out of stone, which many students intricately decorated with markers.
In the Science Lab, Ms. Landon presented students with this formula to determine how much to feed their sea turtle:
y = 0.12515 + [(11.502 • x) / 1000]
X is the weight of the turtle in grams, where Y is the amount of food to feed the turtle each day.
This is a daunting equation for a 5th-grader (as well as many adults), but Ms. Landon broke it down into simple steps the students could follow.
The first step was to weigh their turtle models, so they can plug in a number for X.
Next, using the order of operations, Ms. Landon walked the students step-by-step through the equation, allowing the students to use their calculators on their iPads to check their arithmetic.
"They feel that frustrating moment of it's too hard but they persevere and finally realize I can do it!" said Ms. Landon.
In the end, each student was able to accurately compute the amount of food to feed their own turtle. The pride showed in their faces as they arrived at the correct answer. They didn't think they could do it, but they did!
Jacksonville Country Day School
Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Country Day School is a private school for Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. JCDS prepares students for a healthy and productive lifetime of intellectual exploration, character development, and social responsibility.
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