The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a concept in educational psychology that refers to the range of abilities an individual can perform with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner. It was developed by Soviet psychologist and social constructivist Lev Vygotsky in the early 1900s. The core idea of the ZPD is that a more knowledgeable person can enhance a student’s learning by guiding them through a task slightly above their ability level. As the student becomes more competent, the expert gradually stops helping until the student can perform the skill by themselves. The ZPD can be broken into three stages:

• Tasks the learner can do without assistance. This category includes everything a person can do without help from a more experienced individual.
• Tasks the learner can do with assistance. This category includes tasks a person can’t work through by themselves but can work through with help, also known as their ZPD.
• Tasks the learner cannot do, even with assistance. This category includes tasks that are too difficult for the learner, even with help.

In a classroom setting, the skilled partner is often a teacher or tutor, but it could also be a peer with mastery of the subject. The concept of the ZPD and scaffolding can help students solve problems that would otherwise be beyond their capability. Scaffolding consists of the activities provided by the educator, or more competent peer, to support the student as he or she is led through the zone of proximal development. Several instructional programs were developed based on this interpretation of the ZPD, including reciprocal teaching and dynamic assessment.