The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) was presented by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, known for his sociocultural theory. Vygotsky was born on November 17, 1896 in Orsha, Belarus (then Russian Empire) and spent his childhood in Gomel. Lev read the Torah as a child and completed his primary education with his mother and a private tutor at home, then went to public school where he graduated at the age of seventeen with a gold medal. Lev Vygotsky graduated in law from Moscow State University in 1917; he also studied: sociology, linguistics, psychology and philosophy. In 1924, Vygotsky made a presentation at the Second All-Russian Psychoneurological Congress where he was offered a position and began attending the Moscow Institute of Psychology. It was at this time that his formal work in the field of psychology began. Vygotsky was a great writer and published six psychology books. Vygotsky died of tuberculosis on June 11, 1934, at the age of thirty-seven. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In Vygotsky's own words, the zone of proximal development refers to "the distance between the actual level of development determined by independent problem solving and the level of development." potential development determined by problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with competent peers. The zone of proximal development is the space between what a child knows how to do for themselves and what they do not know and therefore cannot do for themselves. According to Vygotsky, it is in the zone of proximal development that a child would benefit from working closely with someone who has the knowledge and can help them learn. The child can also learn to work with other children in a classroom environment; an example of this would be a teacher pairing intellectual students with students who have difficulty learning. Piaget's cognitive theory and Vygotsky's zone of proximal development are different in many ways. Piaget's theory of cognitive development refers to the four stages that children go through during their mental development. This theory focuses on the nature of intelligence while understanding how children acquire knowledge. Vygotsky's idea was not recognized until some time after his death. Vygotsky's theory was not broken down into stages like Piaget's. Vygotsky saw the crucial role that culture played in development while Piaget suggested that development was universal. Vygotsky recognized the vital role played by adults and their more knowledgeable peers in development and Piaget focused more on peer interactions. Piaget ignored the role that language plays in development and believed that language results from cognitive development. Vygotsky's theory included language and believed it to be essential for cognitive development. The main difference between Vygotsky's and Piaget's beliefs is: Piaget believed that self-discovery is crucial and Vygotsky stated that learning occurs by being taught by those who are more knowledgeable. Both Piaget and Vygotsky believed that children's learning becomes more complex over time. time. The recognized nature and culture of the development of the two psychologists. Both Vygotsky and Piaget came to the conclusion that children's cognitive abilities occur sequentially and that particular abilities develop over time...